Life in a Southern Forest

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Ornebius, Monoplistinae, Mogoplistidae

Workbook


Subfamily Monoplistinae

Recognition (from Otte and Alexander 1983 (Monographs Acad. nat. Sci. Philad. 22).

  • body length 4-13mm

  • body covered in scales

  • pronotum relatively long

  • male forewings rarely reaching end of abdomen, hindwings absent

  • females always wingless

  • hind tibiae without moveable spurs

  • clypeus extending onto dorsum of head


Genus Ornebius

Ornebius is the largest genus in this taxon and is defined by the following features:

  • body length more than 7.5 mm

  • last dorsal segment of abdomen not black between cerci

  • genital processes brown to pale brown or whitish

  • posterior margin of forewings with continuous black or brown band or with 3 darkened areas

  • tibiae I and II slightly or strongly banded

  • front of mirror not hidden beneath pronotum

p.386 Otte and Alexander

Images of an Ornebius species on Brisbane Insects website.


Home Records


Individuals of this genus found at home on two occasions.

11/2/15 - immature male found under mat on front deck. short forewings, just extending from beneath pronotum. body length 8mm



5/5/18 Female found on bedroom window.


Strongly banded legs I and II indicate that these crickets belong to Illaroo Group of species. Other features of this group are:

  • face usually with contrasting markings;

  • 10th tergite of abdomen usually with two tufts of setae near centre;

  • forewings often with 3 dark marks along posterior margin


Ornebius dandiri

Otte and Alexander report that there is only one species in the Illaroo Group that occurs in NSW - Ornebius dandiri (type locality in central coastal NSW).

Recognition:

Males.

  • body colour brownish

  • legs banded

  • face without distinct markings of O. antakira

  • top of frons pale

  • dividing suture of rostrum black

  • maxillary palpi brown, length of 5th segment 1.83X width and 1.29X length of 4th segent

  • lateral lobes of pronotum dark brown, nearly black; dorsal surface lighter

  • posterior margin of forewing has 3 dark spots - spot at posterior medial corner very indistinct

  • anterior portion of forewing including anterior portion of mirror brown

  • posterior mirror vein largely dark

  • file with 160 teeth

  • femora and tibiae marked as in O. antakira

  • tarsi I and II; 1st segment with dark proximal and distal bands

  • tibia III with 3 bands

  • dorsum of abdomen dark brown with two spine shaped projections on 10th tergite.

  • venter of abdomen somewhat lighter than dorsum.

  • genital processes brownish, slightly darker at tips and dark brown at base

  • cerci unbanded and with small patches of dark scales

Male in above home sighting matches most of these criteria, although cannot use wing morphology as the individual is immature.

Otte and Alexander

Otte and Alexander

Females

  • head coloured as in male, pronotum darkest along lower margin of lateral lobes

  • legs marked as in male

  • dorsum of abdomen brown darker than pronotum

  • ovipositor 4.1mm long, bowed at base but straight through most of its length, 2.22X long as pronotum

  • cerci with scattered dark scales

sighting by Harvey Perkins on Montague Island


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.