The intraspecific variation of morphology and coloration of field crickets: a taxonomic revision of Chinese Gymnogryllus Saussure, 1877 and Phonarellus Gorochov, 1983 (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Gryllini)

By

Wang, Ning.
Huang, Huateng
Ma, Libin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1129

Pages

85--107

Subjects

Cricket , genitalia , Grylloidea , Morphological diversity , new synonym , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1129.87706

 

Abstract

After extensive sampling of specimens from species found in China, we examined the intraspecific morphological variation of several characters used for species delimitation in two closely related cricket genera, Gymnogryllus Saussure, 1877 and Phonarellus Gorochov, 1983. We found that the characters (male genitalia in Gymnogryllus odonopetalus Xie & Zheng, 2003 and Phonarellus ritsemae (Saussure, 1877), and coloration of the hind leg in Phonarellus minor (Chopard, 1959)) exhibit considerable amounts of variation within species, and are thus not reliable characters for species differentiation. Therefore, we revised the taxonomy of these two genera. Five synonyms are proposed: G. yunnanensis (= G. odonopetalus) syn. nov., G. striatus (= G. odonopetalus) syn. nov., G. longus (= G. odonopetalus) syn. nov., G. tumidulus (= G. odonopetalus) syn. nov., and P. flavipes (= P. minor) syn. nov. All species mentioned above are described and illustrated. Keys and a distribution map are provided.