Gryllidae Laicharting 1781
Authors/Creators
- 1. Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. Grupo de Investigación en Artrópodos " Kumangui ", Bogotá, Colombia.
Description
Family Gryllidae Laicharting, 1781
Comments. This family has a worldwide distribution and currently includes the following subfamilies:
1) Eneopterinae, with a tropical distribution, exhibits its greatest diversification in Southeast Asia and Oceania (Vicente et al., 2017; Tan et al., 2021). In the Americas, there are two tribes: Eneopterini, which includes only the genus Eneoptera Burmeister, with five species, and Lebinthini, which comprises two genera with disjunct distributions, Ligypterus Saussure, 1878 with six species in Brazil and French Guiana, and Ponca Hebard, 1928, with two Central American species found in Panama and Costa Rica (Cigliano et al., 2025). An additional monotypic genus, Antillobinthus Yong & Desutter-Grandcolas, 2020, was recently described from Cuba, though it is not included in any of the subfamily’s established tribes (Yong & Desutter-Grandcolas, 2020).
2) Pentacentrinae, mainly distributed across the tropical regions of the world (Hubell, 1938, Cadena-Castañeda et al., 2021a), has a discontinuous distribution in the Americas, with records in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the southern United States. This group includes four genera and 22 extant species, and two genera with five fossil species (Cigliano et al., 2025).
The following subfamilies are included in the supersubfamily Gryllinae, also previously recognized as a group of subfamilies due to their morphological similarity:
3) Gryllinae, commonly known as field crickets, are highly diverse with a worldwide distribution (Randell, 1964; Desutter, 1990; Gorochov, 1995; Cadena-Castañeda & García García, 2020). In the Americas, all genera were recently consolidated under the tribe Gryllini, with some former tribes reclassified as subtribes (Gorochov, 2019). Anurogryllina, a subtribe found exclusively in the Americas, includes seven genera and 56 valid species (Gorochov, 2019; Cadena-Castañeda et al., 2021b). Brachytrupina, with the most taxa from the Americas, is organized into four generic groups encompassing eleven genera and 65 species (Gorochov, 2019; Cadena-Castañeda & García García, 2020; Cadena-Castañeda et al., 2022). The Gryllina subtribe groups the most representative and typical genera of the subfamily, such as Acheta Fabricius, Gryllus Linnaeus, Scapsipedus Saussure, Velarifictorus Randell, and Gryllodes Saussure, with some species introduced from various parts of the world (Randell, 1964; Gorochov, 2019; Cadena-Castañeda et al., 2021c).
4) Gryllomiminae is a monogeneric subfamily that includes two African species. Little is known about these species, which appear to be related to Itarinae (Gorochov, 1986b; 1995).
5) Gryllomorphinae, distributed from the Mediterranean region to Middle Asia, currently includes two tribes with seven genera and 81 species. The taxonomic placement of this subfamily is unclear, as some authors, such as Gorochov, classify it within Gryllidae (Gorochov, 1995; 2015; 2016a), while molecular analyses place it within the Phalangopsidae clade, related to the subfamily Cacoplistinae (Chintauan-Marquier, 2016).
6) Itarinae is distributed in Southeast Asia and consists of two genera with a total of 65 species. The most diverse genus, Itara Walker, includes ten subgenera, while Parapentacentrus Shiraki, comprises only three currently recorded species (Cigliano et al., 2025).
7) Landrevinae is distributed discontinuously across the world’s tropics (Gorochov, 2016b). In the Americas, only Odontogryllini, one of the three recognized tribes of this subfamily, is present, encompassing five genera and 25 species (de Mello, 1992; Gorochov, 2016b; Cigliano et al, 2025). These are mainly distributed in the Amazon, with representatives in the Atlantic Forest, the Andes, and Central America (Campos & de Mello, 2014; Oya et al., 2024).
8) Hemigryllinae stat. rev. Here, we propose the revalidation of the subfamily status for this taxon, which is currently treated as a tribe within Eneopterinae (Cigliano et al., 2025). By recognizing Hemigryllinae stat. rev. as a subfamily, it becomes the only endemic subfamily of Gryllidae in the Americas, found in South America with ten recognized species.
Key to Neotropical Gryllidae subfamilies
1. Hind tibia with spines above or between subapical spurs....................................................... 2 Hind tibia without spines between subapical spurs, if present, only before the spurs................................. 3
2. Body length greater than 15 mm. Head subtriangular in frontal view and with bristles; fastigium of vertex flattened. Scape is not broadened, no more than one-third the width of the fastigium, cylindrical, and not flattened. Hind tibia with inner subapical spurs longer than outer ones; apex of the tibia armed with three apical spurs on each side.................. Eneopterinae Body length less than 12 mm. Head flattened in frontal view and lacking prominent bristles; fastigium of vertex rounded. Scape broadened, mostly as wide as the fastigium, and flattened dorsoventrally. Hind tibia with inner subapical spurs similar in length to the outer ones; apex of the tibia armed with two inner apical spurs and three outer spurs................ Pentacentrinae
3. Hind tibia with dorsal spines before the subapical spurs. Metanotum usually with glandular pits, sometimes the tegmina, rarely on the abdomen. Female tegmina, if present, significantly reduced, scale-like, and ovipositor apex flattened dorsoventrally............................................................................ .. Landrevinae (Odontogryllini) Hind tibia without dorsal spines before or between subapical spurs. Metanotum, tegmina, and abdomen without glandular pits. Female tegmina variable developed, macropterous or brachypterous; ovipositor if are developed, with apex narrow laterally.. ................................................................................................... 4
4. Body surface smooth and shiny. Body coloration mostly black, brown, or reddish, rarely ochre or lighter tones. Fore tibiae rarely conspicuously modified for digging; tympanum development variable, may be absent, present on both sides, or on one side only. Apical and subapical spurs medium-sized, with apical spurs never exceeding the length of the hind basitarsus. Ovipositor normally developed, except for some Anurogryllus species; valves not spine-like.................. Gryllinae Body surface pilose and soft to the touch. Body coloration varies in shades of ochre or yellow, with brown spots and stripes. Fore tibiae short, with apical spurs modified for digging; tympanum is ovoid and always present on the inner side of the tibia. Apical and subapical spurs elongated, with the apical spurs longer or as long as the hind basitarsus. Ovipositor with very reduced valves, thin and spine-like.................................................... Hemigryllinae stat. rev.
Notes
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Linked records
Additional details
Identifiers
Biodiversity
- Scientific name authorship
- Laicharting
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Order
- Orthoptera
- Family
- Gryllidae
- Taxon rank
- family
- Taxonomic concept label
- Gryllidae Laicharting, 1781 sec. Cadena-Castañeda, 2025
References
- Vicente, N. M., Kergoat, G. J., Dong, J., Yotoko, K. S. C., Legendre, F., Nattier, R. & Robillard, T. (2017) In and out of the Neotropics: historical biogeography of Eneopterinae crickets. Journal of Biogeography, 44 (10), 2199-2210. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13026
- Tan, M. K., Malem, J., Legendre, F., Dong, J., Baroga-Barbecho, J. B., Yap, S. A., Wahab, R. A., Japir, R., Chung, A. Y. C. & Robillard, T. (2021) Phylogeny, systematics and evolution of calling songs of the Lebinthini crickets (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae), with description of two new genera. Systematic Entomology, 46 (4), 1060-1087. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12510
- Saussure, H. (1878) Melanges orthopterologiques. VI. fascicule Gryllides. Memoires de la Societe de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Geneve, 25 (2), 369-704.
- Hebard, M. (1928) Studies in the Dermaptera and Orthoptera of Colombia. Fifth paper. Orthopterous family Gryllidae. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 54 (2), 79-124.
- Cigliano, M. M., Braun, H., Eades, D. C. & Otte, D. (2025) Orthoptera Species File. Version 5.0 / 5.0. Available from: http://Orthoptera.SpeciesFile.org (accessed 31 March 2025)
- Yong, S., Desutter-Grandcolas, L., Teruel, R. & Leguin, E. - A. (2020) A new genus and species of cricket from eastern Cuba: the first Antillean true Eneopterinae (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Eneopterinae). Zootaxa, 4858 (2), 261-273. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4858.2.7
- Cadena-Castaneda, O. J., Rodriguez, W. A., Florez, A. P. & Acevedo, A. (2021 a) Studies on Neotropical crickets: The continental Otteiini taxa (Orthoptera: Phalangopsidae), those cave crickets are not confined to the West Indies. Zootaxa, 4981 (2), 331-356. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4981.2.7
- Randell, R. (1964) The male genitalia in Gryllinae (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) and a tribal revision. Canadian Entomologist, 96, 1565-1607. https://doi.org/10.4039/Ent961565-12
- Desutter, L. (1990) Etude phylogenetique, biogeographique et ecologique des Grylloidea neotropicaux (Insectes, Orthopteres). Ph. D. Thesis, University of Paris, Paris, 347 pp.
- Gorochov, A. V. (1995) System and evolution of the suborder Ensifera (Orthoptera). Part II. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 260, 1-213.
- Cadena-Castaneda, O. J. & Garcia Garcia, A. (2020) Studies in Colombian Ensifera and adjacent countries: Gigagryllus, a new genus of giant field crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) with comments on current Neotropical field crickets classification. Zootaxa, 4830 (2), 273-290. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4830.2.3
- Gorochov, A. V. (2019) Preliminary hypothesis on the history of Gryllinae (Orthoptera: Gryllinae) in America and new taxa of both the subtribe Anurogryllina and the genus Megalogryllus. Amurian Zoological Journal, 11 (4), 279-308. https://doi.org/10.33910/2686-9519-2019-11-4-279-308
- Cadena-Castaneda, O. J., Vasquez, M. C., Davila, G. R. & Grande, V. H. (2021 b) Studies on Neotropical crickets: A new Anurogryllina genus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae). Zootaxa, 4985 (3), 371-380. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4985.3.4
- Cadena-Castaneda, O. J., Tavares, G. C. & Marin Fernandes, J. (2022) Studies on Neotropical crickets: Mellogryllus mutus n. gen. et sp. nov., an intriguing new genus and species of cricket of the Miogryllae Group (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae: Gryllini: Brachytrupina) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Zootaxa, 5125 (4), 408-420. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5125.4.4
- Cadena-Castaneda, O. J., Arango, C. J., Grande, V. H. & Florez, A. P. (2021 c) Studies on Neotropical crickets: new species and notes on the classification of field crickets genera Anurogryllus and Gryllus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae). Zootaxa, 4970 (3), 515-532. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4970.3.4
- Gorochov, A. V. (1986 b) System and morphological evolution of crickets from the family Gryllidae (Orthoptera) with description of new taxa. Communication 2. Zoologicheskiy Zhurnal, 65 (6), 851-858.
- Gorochov, A. V. (2015) Evolution and taxonomic significance of the copulatory apparatus in Ensifera (Orthoptera). Part 2: Male genitalia in Grylloidea. Zoosystematica Rossica, 24 (1), 31-41.
- Gorochov, A. V. (2016 a) Systematic position of the Hymenoptila Chopard and notes on the geographic history of Gryllomorphinae (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Zoosystematica Rossica, 25 (2), 216-225.
- Chintauan-Marquier, I. C., Legendre, F., Hugel, S., Robillard, T., Grandcolas, P., Nel, A., Zuccon, D. & Desutter-Grandcolas, L. (2016) Laying the foundations of evolutionary and systematic studies in crickets (Insecta, Orthoptera): a multilocus phylogenetic analysis. Cladistics, 32 (1), 54-81. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12114
- Gorochov, A. V. (2016 b) Taxonomic studies on the subfamily Landrevinae (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Zoosystematica Rossica, 25 (1), 23-97.
- Campos, L. D. & de Mello, F. de A. G. (2014) Taxonomic studies on the Neotropical Landrevinae with description of new taxa (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Gryllidae). Zootaxa, 3852 (2), 151-178. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3852.2.1
- Oya, B. H. K., Santos, L. A. P., Fernandes, J. A. M. & Tavares, G. C. (2024) Contributions to Odontogryllini (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Landrevinae) with comments on its taxonomic status and description of a new species of Xulavuna de Mello & Campos, 2014. Zootaxa, 5424 (2), 203-213. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5424.2.4