Research Article |
Corresponding author: Nancy Collins ( ycnancy2k@hotmail.com ) Academic editor: Klaus-Gerhard Heller
© 2019 Nancy Collins, Isabel Margarita Coronado González, Bruno Victor Alfons Govaerts.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Collins N, Coronado González IM, Govaerts BVA (2019) Oecanthus mhatreae sp. nov. (Gryllidae: Oecanthinae): A new species of tree cricket from Mexico, with an irregular song pattern and unique chirp-like trill configuration. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 137-143. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.33781
|
A new species of Oecanthus is described from Mexico. Oecanthus mhatreae sp. nov. occurs in central Mexico in the understory of tropical deciduous forest. Oecanthus mhatreae sp. nov. is currently known only from the Corregidora area of the Mexican state of Querétaro. The widened tegmina and chirp-like brief trills song are consistent with some members of the rileyi species group; however, this new species of tree cricket is different in several aspects. The chirp-like brief trills are generally irregularly spaced, it does not have the expected grouping of the chirp pulses, and the colors of buff, light olive green, or light brown are vastly different than the four known pale green species in the rileyi species group of the Western Hemisphere. Morphology, habitat, and song details of this new species, with the common name of Otomi tree cricket, are provided in this paper. Video can be viewed at www.oecanthinae.com.
Cimatario, Corregidora, Natasha Mhatre, new species, Otomí, Querétaro, tropical deciduous forest
According to the current listing on the Orthoptera Species File online (
Oecanthines in the varicornis and nigricornis species groups have prolonged trilling songs (
Four chirping species in the rileyi species group of Oecanthus are currently known to occur in North America, Central America, and the West Indies: O. alexanderi Walker, 2010; O. allardi Walker & Gurney, 1967; O. fultoni Walker, 1962; and O. rileyi Baker, 1905. These four species have a chirping song with a grouping of pulses within each chirp, a pale green color with a white abdomen, and a round or oval mark on the pedicel and scape (
In 1965, RD Alexander recorded songs of eight unknown chirping oecanthines in Mexico. TJ Walker analyzed the recordings (
A 2019 photograph (Fig.
Habitat.—Specimens were found on private property of IMCG and BVAG in Fraccionamiento Vista Real, Corregidora, Querétaro, Mexico. The property is located adjacent to the Parque Nacional El Cimatario. The property sits on the southern slope of Cerro de Cimatario, an inactive volcano. The primary vegetation of this reserve has been characterized as deciduous tropical forest, cactus shrub, reforestation, and pasture (
BVAG monitored light intensity when the tree crickets were first heard singing over a five-day period. Light intensity measurements were used from online data in the Querétaro area (
Collection methods.—Areas inhabited by tree crickets were determined both by manual searching and by locating actively singing males. Inhabited vegetation was then searched for adults of both sexes and nymphs. Specimens were collected in hand-held plastic containers. Photographs by BVAG, and sound recordings and specimen photographs by IMCG, were taken January-March 2019.
Measurements were made after the specimens were euthanized by freezing. Specimens were preserved in 70% alcohol until delivery to permanent depositories. Photographs were taken using a Samsung tablet and a Nikon D90 camera with a +4 Macro Close Up Neewer lens. Photographs, video, and sound recordings will be made available for viewing at
Acoustics.—Calling songs were recorded using recording app Grabadora Amazing MP3 with a Samsung tablet, with the tablet held as close to the singing tree cricket as possible. AVS4YOU Video Converter Software version 11.0 was used to convert MP4 to AVI. DoReMiSoft AVI to WAV Converter software was used to convert AVI files to WAV format. AVS4YOU Audio Editor Software version 6.1.2.375 and Raven Lite 2.0 were used to analyze the WAV sound tracks to make images of their waveforms and sound spectrums to measure the song frequency. Temperatures of the spots where tree crickets were singing were measured using a Taylor Sybron 5460 hand-held Mercury maximum minimum thermometer.
Morphological measurements.—The total body length refers to the midline length from the fastigium to the apex of the subgenital plate, not including antennae, tegmina, limbs, or cerci. The tegminal width was measured at the widest section, while resting atop the abdomen of the male. Pronotal length was measured along the medial line of the pronotum. The female’s ovipositor was measured from its base at the distal abdomen to the tip. Photographs and measurements of the ovipositor, cerci, and metanotal gland, as well as counts of the stridulatory teeth, were made with the aid of a Jiusion Digital Microscope Model USB, magnification 40× to 1000×.
Specific epithet in honor of Natasha Mhatre, who has worked extensively with Oecanthinae and has published many articles focusing on acoustic communication. The pronunciation of mhatreae is MAT-ray-ee [MAT] [ra-] [-ee]. The common name, Otomi tree cricket, is after the Otomí, an indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the central Mexican Plateau region.
The genus Oecanthus was determined by the presence of spines on the hind tibiae.
MEXICO, holotype ♂, alcohol vial, Querétaro, Corregidora, Fraccionamiento Vista Real, 20°52'20"N, 100°38'80"W; elevation ca 2130 m, understory of tropical deciduous forest, I. Coronado leg., 24 Jan 2019, deposited at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City.
Paratypes: 1 ♀ and 1 ♂, 23–24 January 2019, and 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ 13 February 2019, same location as holotype, deposited at UNAM.
(in mm). Light olive green wings with dark staining along some veins. Pronotum milky buff color. Grayish tan head with four lighter streaks running to pronotum, and light pink patch near scapes. Pedicel and scape pale green. Antennae pale greenish white. Eye color purplish. Palpi translucent tan. Oval black mark on each pedicel and scape. Abdomen light olive green with scattered darker blotches. Femurs translucent olive green; tibiae and tarsi light olive green. Body length 13.5; tegminal length 13.7; tegminal width 6.8; pronotal length 2.2; distal pronotal width 2.4; hind femur length 10; cerci 4.9. The stridulatory file length is 1.5 mm, and the stridulatory teeth count is 36.
Overall color of both sexes can range from light brown (Fig.
Antennae filaments translucent greyish white or tan. Eye color purple to brown. Palpi translucent tan. Pronotum has a milky or creamy buff or light olive color (Figs
Paratype males measurements: Body length 12.4–13.0; wing length 11.0–12.0; wing width 5.8–6.9; pronotal length 1.5–2.8; distal pronotal width 2.0; hind femur length 7.0–8.2; cerci length 4.3–5.0.
Paratype female measurements: Female with matching antennal markings and coloring as males. Body length 12.5–12.8; wing length 11.5–12.0; wing width 3.0–3.1; pronotal length 1.9–2.5; distal pronotal width 1.8–2.0; hind femur length 7.5–8.8; cerci length 6.5–6.6; ovipositor length 6.25–6.5. Ovipositor extends slightly beyond the tips of the cerci (Fig.
Nymphs as in photos of 3rd–5th instars (Figs
Tree crickets were found on ten plant species: Anisacanthus pumilis (F. Dietr.) Nees; Cnidoscolus multilobus (Pax) I. M. Johnston; Colubrina triflora Brogn. Ex Sweet; Croton ciliatoglandulifer Ortega; Dasilyrion parryanum Trel; Iresine cassiniliformis S. Schauer; Justicia candicans Nees L D Benson; Ruta graveolens L; Senecio salignus DC.; and Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims (
According to records on the National Water Commission website, rainfall totals for Querétaro were (listed in mm from January 2018 through March 2019): 9.2, 10.0, 2.8, 24.1, 39.5, 161.8, 31.4, 71.7, 110.2, 58.6, 31.1, 3.8, 7.5, 2.3, and 4.6. The lowest temperatures occurred in January 2018 (5.3°C in 2018 and 8.5°C in 2019). The warmest temperatures from January-March 2019 were 24.7°C, 28.1°C, and 29.6°C.
Light intensity readings ranged from less than 5 W/m2 to 12 W/m2 at the time males began singing. Song monitoring in January and February revealed Otomi tree crickets began singing from one minute before to eleven minutes after sunset and were singing within 10 minutes of sunset in temperatures of 17–18°C and past midnight in temperatures less than 12°C. The holotype male and one paratype female were video recorded mating while in captivity. A video clip can be viewed at www.oecanthinae.com.
The song pattern and chirp configuration of Otomi tree cricket were instrumental in diagnosing this new Mexican oecanthine. Waveform analysis showed that each chirp was comprised of a long string of pulses with no groupings (Figs
Calling song recording of O. mhatreae sp. nov. at 17°C. The clip was amplified to highlight the background song. This 30-sec clip shows the irregularly spaced O. mhatreae sp. nov. chirps at a rate of 28 pulses per minute with a yet to be determined chirping species in the background with a highly regular pattern at a rate of 100 chirps per minute.
Oecanthus varicornis, from the varicornis species group, has continuous trilling with runs of pulses over several seconds, while O. mhatreae sp. nov. chirps never exceed 0.7 second. Of the three intermittent bursts of trilling species, O. niveus has a J-shaped mark on the scape (
At all temperatures, the chirping pattern of Otomi tree cricket was irregular. This sporadic rate and pattern were unlike any of the other known chirping species in North America. Fig.
Data and sources of chirps per minute at recorded temperatures of O. mhatreae sp. nov. and other chirping species of Oecanthus in North America. Source recordings: SINA – Singing Insects of North America; ML – Macaulay Library; recordings in library of NC; and new recordings for this paper from Querétaro.
Species | Temp C | Ch/min | Source |
---|---|---|---|
O. fultoni | 12.5 | 69 | SINA 585slo |
18.3 | 114 | SINA 585slj | |
25 | 180 | ML 124884 | |
O. rileyi | 17.2 | 76 | ML 124705 |
20.2 | 90 | ML 124791 | |
24.6 | 108 | SINA 588sl | |
O. mhatreae sp. nov. | 15 | 32 | IC and BG Querétaro |
17 | 42 | ||
19 | 58 | ||
20.8 | 48 | ||
O. alexanderi | 21.7 | 24 | NC Texas USA |
23.2 | 34 | ||
27.5 | 47 | ||
O. allardi | 23.2 | 20 | ML 114499 |
25.3 | 24 | ML 125543 | |
26.6 | 30 | NC Nicaragua |
Characters that separate O. mhatreae sp. nov. from other chirping species of tree crickets in the rileyi species group include: 1) аn overall darker coloring than the usual very pale green; 2) dark speckles and blotches on the abdomen; 3) dark staining along veins of the tegmina; 4) milky buff or olive color of the pronotum; 5) no grouping of the pulses in individual chirps; and 6) an irregular chirping pattern.
Fourteen species of Oecanthus found in the Western Hemisphere are not associated with an established species group and not all have recordings of songs available online. Otomi tree cricket’s stridulatory teeth count, antennal markings, and song type were compared to those fourteen species, but no matches were found (Table
Comparison of characters for 14 other species of Oecanthus found south of the United States that are not currently placed in a species group. Grаy fields indicate the characters that do not match those of Otomi tree cricket.
Oecanthus Species | Stridulatory Teeth Total | Pedicel Mark | Scape Mark | Song Type | Source Providing Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
mhatreae sp. nov. | 32–36 | Oval | Oval | Irregular pattern; long chirps | |
comma | 44 | Comma | Teardrop |
|
|
immaculatus | 24 | No marking | No marking |
|
|
jamaicensis | 27–29 | Post | Post | Continuous trilling |
|
lineolatus | 48 | Line | Line | Regular trilling chirps |
|
major | 34 | No marking | Line |
|
|
minutus | 37–45 | No marking | Line or no marking |
|
|
nanus | 51–54 | No marking | No marking |
|
|
pallidus | 32 | Line | Line | Long regular chirps |
|
peruvianus | 35 | No marking | No marking |
|
|
pictipes | 50–53 | L-shape and dot | Line and dot |
|
|
pictus | 47 | L-shape | Thick vertical mark | Continuous trilling |
|
prolatus | 28 | Oval | Thin post |
|
|
tenuis | 44 | Bowed line | Line |
|
|
valensis | 38–46 | Line | Line |
|
We describe this new species of Oecanthus but cannot place it in one of the species groups for Western Hemisphere tree crickets. Although by ear this new species sounds similar to O. alexanderi and O. allardi, it can be distinguished by the irregular chirping pattern and by the analysis of the configuration of each chirp due to the absence of grouping of pulses. Both O. alexanderi and O. allardi group the pulses within a single chirp into a 2, 3, 3, 3…pattern (
Since the songs of O. mhatreae sp. nov. and O. leptogrammus are similar in chirp-like trill durations and both species occur in Mexico, care should be taken when trying to identify these species by sound. Although there are limited recordings of O. leptogrammus, it has a raspy sound, whereas O. mhatreae sp. nov. has a flute-like sound. It would be interesting to compare the song of O. mhatreae sp. nov. with that of O. comma. The song of O. comma is currently unknown. Of the remaining 14 species of Oecanthus not associated with a species group, O. comma seems the most likely to have the potential of being grouped with O. mhatreae sp. nov., as the antennal markings of O. comma are not linear, and it was described as occurring in Mexico.
While Otomi tree cricket is currently known only from Querétaro, Mexico, more investigation is needed to understand its full geographic range, elevations of occurrence, and types of habitat. More exploration is needed throughout Mexico for other undescribed species heard by RD Alexander over 50 years ago.
We encourage others to post submissions of observations to iNaturalist, as we believe there are other new species waiting to be discovered by specialists reviewing photographs and/or sound recordings on this worldwide public website. There are many non-entomologists and citizen scientists eager to provide data for investigations of insects in their locations.
We thank the California Academy of Sciences for maintaining the website iNaturalist.org, which allows scientists and the general public from around the world to post photographs and sound recordings of insects. We are grateful to Edison Zefa and Klaus-Gerhard Heller for valuable input to the manuscript. We are appreciative of the wealth of knowledge generously shared by Thomas J. Walker. Dr Walker has long been a proponent of open access of articles, which was of immense assistance in our investigation of this new species. NC appreciates the support Thomas J. Walker and Natasha Mhatre give to citizen scientists. We extend thanks to members of the Tree Cricket Appreciation Group and The Orthopterists’ Society Group on Facebook, for offering suggestions on verbiage, colors and song tones. The Orthopterists’ Society supported the cost of publishing this work.