Stenopelmatinae

Stenopelmatus fuscus, photographed by Franco Folini.

Belongs within: Stenopelmatidae.

The Stenopelmatinae, Jerusalem crickets or potato bugs, are large orthopterans found in North and Central America. They are robust animals adapted for digging in soil and are often (though not always) wingless. Jerusalem crickets communicate by drumming their abdomen against the ground.

Characters (from Gorochov 2001): Head without distinct traces of rostrum between antennae. Fore thoracic stigmata with only two lobules forming slit-like aperture. Femoro-abdominal stridulatory apparatus absent; first abdominal sternite widened and almost fused with metathoracic sternite; male abdominal apex with hooks at lateral part of anal plate; lower and inner valvae of ovipositor fused with each other at base and middle part.

<==Stenopelmatinae
    |--Stenopelmatopterus G01
    |--Viscainopelmatus Tinkham 1970 W01
    |    `--*V. davewerneri Tinkham 1970 W01
    |--Ammopelmatus Tinkham 1965 W01
    |    |--*A. kelsoensis Tinkham 1965 W01
    |    `--A. muwu Rentz & Weissman 1981 W01
    `--Stenopelmatus Burmeister 1838 W01
         |--*S. talpa Burmeister 1838 W01
         |--S. ater Saussure & Pictet 1897 W01
         |--S. cahuilaensis Tinkham 1968 W01
         |--S. calcaratus Griffini 1893 W01
         |--S. californicus Brunner von Wattenwyl 1888 W01
         |--S. cephalotes Walker 1869 W01
         |--S. comanchus Saussure & Pictet 1897 W01
         |--S. erythromelas Walker 1869 W01
         |--S. fasciatus Thomas 1872 W01
         |--S. fuscus Haldeman 1852 W01
         |--S. guatemalae Brunner von Wattenwyl 1888 W01
         |--S. histrio Saussure 1859 W01
         |--S. hydrocephalus Brunner von Wattenwyl 1888 W01
         |--S. intermedius Davis & Smith 1926 W01
         |--S. irregularis Brunner von Watterwyl 1888 W01
         |--S. lessonae Griffini 1893 W01
         |--S. longispina Brunner von Watterwyl 1888 W01
         |--S. lycosoides Walker 1869 W01
         |--S. mescaleroensis Tinkham 1979 W01
         |--S. mexicanus Saussure 1859 W01
         |--S. minor Saussure 1859 W01
         |--S. navajo Rentz 1978 W01
         |--S. nieti Saussure 1859 W01
         |--S. nigrocapitatus Tinkham & Rentz 1969 W01
         |--S. oculatus Scudder 1876 W01
         |--S. piceiventris Walker 1869 W01
         |--S. pictus Scudder 1899 W01
         |--S. politus Walker 1869 W01
         |--S. sallei Saussure 1859 W01
         |--S. sartorianus Saussure 1859 W01
         |--S. sumichrasti Saussure 1859 W01
         |--S. terrenus Rehn 1902 W01
         |--S. toltecus (Saussure 1861) W01
         |--S. typhlops Rehn 1902 W01
         `--S. vicinus Brunner von Watterwyl 1888 W01

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[G01] Gorochov, A. V. 2001. The higher classification, phylogeny and evolution of the superfamily Stenopelmatoidea. In The Biology of Wetas, King Crickets and Their Allies (L. H. Field, ed.) pp. 3-33. CABI Publishing: Wallingford (UK).

[W01] Weissman, D. B. 2001. North and Central America Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae): Taxonomy, distribution, life cycle, ecology and related biology of the American species. In The Biology of Wetas, King Crickets and Their Allies (L. H. Field, ed.) pp. 57-72. CABI Publishing: Wallingford (UK).