Paragryllacris combusta (Raspy Cricket), Gryllacrididae
Workbook
Identification of genus Paragryllacris
Current species in this genus (according to ALA)
Paragryllacris combusta Gerstaecker, C.E. (1860). Ueber die Locustinen-Gattung Gryllacris Serv. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 26, 245-78.
Paragryllacris fissa Arkiv. för Zoologi v. 20 A n. 13, p. 29, 35-40, fig. 10 (1929) Queensland
Paragryllacris griffinii Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. v. 74, p. 284 pl. 21, fig. 11 (1923) Queensland
Paragryllacris nigrosulcata Arkiv. för Zoologi v. 20 A n. 13, p. 29-35 fig. 8, 9 (1929) Queensland
The notes for genus ID were compiled from references 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, but are drawn largely from the Rentz and John, 1990 revision of the genus, which adopted the genus definition of Karny, 1937.
General
Mainly larger, strongly built species with brownish colouration.
Body colouration
Frons, legs, antennae and pronotum characteristically marked. Apart from the distinctive colouration of the type species Paragryllacris combusta, it is not stated explicitly what pattern of colouration distinguishes the genus Paragryllacris from other, related genera. However the colour line drawings in Karny, 1937 show representative species from several other gryllacrid genera (Paragryllacris combusta is second image from left in top row of first panel).
Head
Head large to very large.
Mandible short, robust, teeth prominent, positioned along nearly entire surface of internal margin; external margin evenly arched, base with a short, deep sulcus; incisor very sharp, curved, dentes sharp, bases raised; molar area extensive, raised, teeth very prominent, setal row sparse, setae elongate, apical setae a single row not separated from molar setal row but setae much more elongate; internal surface with an arched row of closely spaced, elongate setae.
Maxilla elongate; galea with prominent tubercles at base; lacinia elongate, apically curved.
Fastigium of vertex usually twice as wide as the first antennal joint
Wonboyn, 6/3/14
Fastigium of vertex strongly carinate (black arrow in fig. below); frons smooth or punctate, distinctively patterned.
Antennal scape with a very prominent swelling on internal margin (white arrow in fig. below).
Wonboyn, 6/3/14
Thorax and limbs
Pronotum strongly sulcate (grooved)
Fore coxa with a prominent spine (white arrow in fig. below);
Wonboyn, 6/3/14
Fore and middle tibiae with 5 elongate spines on each margin of ventral surface, apical spine minute, much more robust than those preceding.
Hind tibia armed dorsally with many elongate spines or few minute tubercles depending upon the species.
Hind femur with 1-4 robust teeth on outer margin of ventral surface, these positioned near apex, internal margin with 0-2 much smaller teeth, usually at the apex, but may be positioned along entire apical half, depending upon the species.
Wonboyn, 6/3/14
Terminalia
Male
Male tergite IX terminating abruptly but not bulbate in profile, lateral angles produced, and dentate
Intercercal teeth small, divergent, widely separated but positioned internally relative to base of cercus
Subgenital plate lacking styles, apex narrowed, rounded, semicircular, apically indented, surface somewhat soft. Subgenital lamina of male broad, transverse, medially lobed, laterally with style-like appendages.
Female
Female abdomen apically unmodified in dorsal aspect; subgenital plate simple, apex divided, developed to an extreme in P. fissa, base often with pits; ovipositor simple, shorter than body but longer than abdomen, upcurved, apically unarmed.
Wings
Both sexes fully winged, wings well developed, reaching or extending past the posterior end of the body.
Wings sub hyaline, never striped. The colour and pattern of the wings is distinctive for each species but generally, the tegmen has white or greyish white veins with smoky cells.
The following drawing from Karny 1937 shows the venation of the wings of Paragryllacris combusta, which is representative of the genus.
based on Plate 5, Fig. 3 in Karny (1937)
The following features distinguish the venation of Paragryllacris from some other related genera.
The anterior rami of the radius of the tegmen intersect the costa and the media has 3 branches, in contrast to Hadrogryllacris, in which this vein has only one branch.
There is a single cubitus, in contrast to Hadrogryllacis and Craspedogryllacris, which have 2.
Transverse veins of the rear wings are generally associated with narrow dark lines. Rs + M on the rear wings (with the exception of P. griffinii) arise from a common, simple root on the Radius-trunk (unlike Hadrogryllacris and Craspedogryllacris).
Identification of Paragryllacris combusta
The notes for the identification of this species were compiled from references 1-6, but are drawn largely from the Rentz and John, 1990.
This is one of Australia's most distinctive gryllacridid species.
Head
Colour and pattern very distinctive especially of frons, antenna, pronotum, tegmina and wings.
Length of body: male = 32mm; female= 37mm
Carinae of fastigium of vertex parallel, strongly developed, pronotum deeply sculptured. Length of pronotum: male= 7.5mm; female=8mm.
Antennal segments distal to 3rd segment much darker than more proximal segments.
Frons and pronotum show distinctive pattern of colouration. Note that the colouration on these particular body parts is only partially evident in the 3 animals recorded to date in the ALCW region - these individuals match all other diagnostic criteria for P. combusta.
Legs
Fore and middle tibiae darkened, fore tibia with entire dorsal surface black, middle tibia with a dark annulus at base, hind tibia with a similar annulus but much more faintly indicated.
Fore and middle femora slightly darkened near apex, hind femur more extensively darkened dorsally and externally near apex.
Wonboyn, 6/3/14 Body length 32mm, ovipositor 22mm, wing length 36mm
Note:
Two animals, recorded at Wonboyn and Bournda NP, do not show this pattern of colouration of the legs, or at least not clearly. Nor do they show the pattern of colouration of the head and pronotum originally described for Paragryllacris combusta. However, they match the description of this species for all other features. It is unclear at this stage whether these are individual or regional variants of Paragryllacris combusta or whether they are a different species of Paragryllacris or another gryllacrid.
fore coxal spine elongate, apex often upcurved;
Wonboyn, 6/3/14
Fore and middle tibiae with 5 elongate spines on each margin of ventral surface, apical spine minute, much more robust than those preceding.
Ventral surface of hind femur with 3 (rarely 4) elongate teeth on outer margin, internal margin with 1 small tooth near apex.
Length of hind femora: male=18mm; female=18mm.
Internal surface of hind femur carinate.
Terminalia
Male
Each of the processes of the male subgenital plate bear a vertical pointed tooth - these are joined at the base.
Female
Female subgenital plate has quite a deep medial depression and its posterior tips are pointed. Length of ovipositor=23-26mm.
Fig. 9 from Karny 1929 showing subgenital plates of male (left, ventral view; middle, lateral view) and female (right, ventral view)
Wings
length of tegmen: male=37mm; female=38mm
tegmen with veins greyish, cells smoky especially in anterior third.
tegmen have between 2-6 precostals. If there are more than 4, they are single; if less than 4, most are forked
Forewing venation - Wonboyn, 6/3/14
Forewing venation - Wonboyn, 8/12/15
References
Brunner von Wattenwyl, C. 1888 Monographie der Stenopelmatiden und Gryllacridea. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 38, 247-394.
Gerstaecker, C.E. 1860. Ueber die Locustinen-Gattung Gryllacris Serv. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 26, 245-78.
Karny, H.H. 1929 Revisionen der Gryllacriden des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien einschließlich der Collection Brunner V. Wattenwyl. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 43, 35-186.
Karny H.H. 1937 Orthoptera. Fam. Gryllacridiae, Subfamilieae Omne. In: P. Wytsman, ed. Genera Insectorum Fascicule 206, 1-317.
Rentz, D.C.F and B. John 1990 Studies in Australian Gryllacrididae: Taxonomy, Biology, Ecology and Cytology. Invertebrate Taxonomy 3: 1053
6. Tepper, J.G.O. 1892 The Gryllacridae and Stenopelmatidae of Australia and Polynesia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 15, 137-78.
This is a workbook page … a part of our website where we record the observations and references used in making species identifications. The notes will not necessarily be complete. They are a record for our own use, but we are happy to share this information with others.
Paragryllacris sp. beta
1 female. — Post Essington, Australia.
È molto affine alla P. latelineolata Br., ma ne differisce per l’ovopositore più corto, pei femori posteriori più brevi, per le elitre più lunghe e per le venule delle ali appena lievemente marginate di ferrugineo; presenta inoltre una struttura della fronte molto caratteristica:
It is very similar to P. latelineolata Br., but differs from it in its shorter ovipositor, shorter posterior femurs, longer elytra and slightly ferrugineous margined wing venules; it also has a very characteristic forehead structure:
Robusta; pallide flavido-testacea, arcu occipitis subtili irregulari leviter fusciore, sulco antico pronoti vittaque lata media a sulco antico ad marginem posticum extensa, antice posticeque dilatata, longitudinaliter a lineola media pallida fissa, leviter fuscis.
Body length mm. 42 (extended abdomen) length pronotum “7.2” length of elytra n 48.3 “length anterior femurs 1O" length posterior femurs "17.7" length ovipositor n 33.5
robust; pale yellow-chested, fine irregular occipital arch slightly browner, pronotum anterior furrow and wide middle band extending from anterior furrow to posterior margin, widened anteriorly and posteriorly, fixed longitudinally by pale median lineola, slightly brown.
fastigium verticis latitudinem duplam primi articuli antennarum subattingens, nitidum, planiusculum lateribus carinulatis; maculae ocellares parvae, citrinae, sat distinctae. Frons cum fastigio scaberrima, rugosa, necnon sub utraque antenna verticaliter valde prominula fere utrinque carinato-tumida, et ad latera utriusque prominentiae verticaliter depressa. Genae maxima parte laeves. Clypeus inaequalis, rugosus, impressus; labrum apice infuscatum; mandibulae dimidio apicali intus nigratae. Palpi pallidi, articulo ultimo apice leviter fusciore. Antennae concolores.
The head is large, ovoid, wider than the pronotum. Occiput and vertex shiny, convex: peak of the vertex reaching twice the width of the first joint of the antennae, shiny, slightly flat with carinulate sides; eye spots small, lemon, sufficiently distinct. Frons with a very rough, wrinkled ridge, as well as below each antenna vertically very prominent, almost on both sides carinated-swollen, and vertically depressed on the sides of both prominences. The cheeks are mostly smooth. Shield uneven, wrinkled, impressed; the tip of the lip is incised; apical half of mandible blackened inside. Palps pale, the tip of the last joint slightly browner. Antennae concolorous.
Pronotum nitidum, a supero visum subquadratum, margine antico fere recto, in medio levissime rotundato, sulcis incertis paucis transversis brevibus eum sequentibus, sulco antico bene expresso, sulculo longitudinali abbreviato parum distineto, irregulari, sulcis duobus posticis ante marginem posticum sitis transversis, parum impressis, metazona sensim ascendente, margine postico truncato subconcavo. Lobi laterales humiles, subrectangulares, angulo antico subproducto sed vertice rotundato, sulco late V-formi optime impresso, sinu humerali parvo.
Pronotum smooth, seen from above subsquare, anterior margin almost straight, slightly rounded in the middle, indistinct furrows with a few transverse short ones following it, anterior furrow well expressed, shortened longitudinal furrow slightly distinct, irregular, two posterior furrows located transversely before the posterior margin, slightly impressed , metazona gradually ascending, posterior margin truncate subconcave. The lateral lobes are low, subrectangular, with an anterior angle subproduced but rounded at the top, a well-impressed wide V-shaped groove, a small humeral sinus.
Elytra longa, apice subacuminata, subhyalina, leviter testaceo tincta, venis venulisque ferrugineis. Alae valde elongato triangulares, subvitreae, venis venulisque ferrugineis, his angustissime dilute ferrugineo marginatis.
Pedes concolores, basi tibiarum haud vel incertissime leviter obscuriore. Tibiae 4 anticae solito modo spinosae, spinis haud multo longis. Femora postica basi valde incrassata, extus leviter sulcata, ad apicem sat rapide attenuata, subtus margine externo Spinis 3, margine interno spinis 3-4, acutis, apice nigris, armata. Tibiae posticae /ere inermes, tantum apice leviter depressiusculae, tantum sub lente rudimentis quibusdam paucarum spinularum minimarum in margine externo apud apicem praeditae; spinae apicales adsunt.
Abdomen concolor, segmentis dorsalibus basi incerte infuscatis. Ovipositor angustus, elongatus, post medium levissime, indistincte, incurvus, apicem versus saturatius ferrugineus, apice acutissimus. Lamina subgenitalis 9 subrotundata, apice in medio subtruncata, inferius carinis duabus mediis apicem versus divergentibus, basi convergentibus, fossulam basalem limitantibus, praedita.
Anomalia. Questo esemplare presenta una di quelle frequenti anomalie per riduzione d’una zampa di cui più volte mi sono occupato, e sulle quali sono ritornato diffusamente in un recente mio lavoro (').
Esso ha la zampa anteriore sinistra normale, la destra invece lievemente ridotta. È però questo il caso di meno visibile riduzione che io finora abbia osservato. Eccone le dimensioni.
Lunghezza del femore mm. 10 7,2 ” della tibia A LOS 8,9 ” det tarsi ” 6,6 6
La differenza è molto lieve. Il femore è compresso alla base e va alquanto ingrossandosi verso l’ apice. La tibia appare quasi normale, ma presenta solo due piccole spine presso l’apice sul margine esterno e 4 piccole spine tutte vicino all’apice sul margine interno. I tarsi sono ben conformati, ma alquanto piccoli.