@article {48122, title = {Tackling an intractable problem: Can greater taxon sampling help resolve~relationships within the Stenopelmatoidea (Orthoptera: Ensifera)?}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4291}, year = {2017}, month = {Nov-07-2017}, pages = {1}, abstract = {

The relationships among and within the families that comprise the orthopteran superfamily Stenopelmatoidea (suborder Ensifera) remain poorly understood. We developed a phylogenetic hypothesis based on Bayesian analysis of two nuclear ribosomal and one mitochondrial gene for 118 individuals (84 de novo and 34 from GenBank). These included Gryllacrididae from North, Central, and South America, South Africa and Madagascar, Australia and Papua New Guinea; Stenopelmatidae from North and Central America and South Africa; Anostostomatidae from North and Central America, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa; members of the Australian endemic Cooloola (three species); and a representative of Lezina from the Middle East. We also included representatives of all other major ensiferan families: Prophalangopsidae, Rhaphidophoridae, Schizodactylidae, Tettigoniidae, Gryllidae, Gryllotalpidae and Myrmecophilidae and representatives of the suborder Caelifera as outgroups. Bayesian analyses of concatenated sequence data supported a clade of Stenopelmatoidea inclusive of all analyzed members of Gryllacrididae, Stenopelmatidae, Anostostomatidae, Lezina and Cooloola. We found Gryllacrididae worldwide to be monophyletic, while we did not recover a monophyletic Stenopelmatidae nor Anostostomatidae. Australian Cooloola clustered in a clade composed of Australian, New Zealand, and some (but not all) North American Anostostomatidae. Lezina was included in a clade of New World Anostostomatidae. Finally, we compiled and compared karyotypes and sound production characteristics for each supported group. Chromosome number, centromere position, drumming, and stridulation differed among some groups, but also show variation within groups. This preliminary trait information may contribute toward future studies of trait evolution. Despite greater taxon sampling within Stenopelmatoidea than previous efforts, some relationships among the families examined continue to remain elusive.

}, keywords = {Anostostomatidae, Cooloola, drumming, genetic, Gryllacrididae, karyotype, Lezina, Orthoptera, sound production, Stenopelmatidae}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4291.110.11646/zootaxa.4291.1.1}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4291.1https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4291.1.1}, author = {Amy G. Vandergast and David B. Weissman and Dustin A. Wood and D. C. F. Rentz and Corinna S. Bazelet and Norihiro Ueshima} } @article {40441, title = {Neuroanatomy of the complex tibial organ of Stenopelmatus (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Stenopelmatidae)}, journal = {The Journal of Comparative Neurology}, volume = {511}, year = {2008}, month = {Jan-11-2008}, pages = {81 - 91}, abstract = {

Stenopelmatidae (or \“Jerusalem crickets\”) belong to the atympanate Ensifera, lacking hearing organs in the foreleg tibiae. Their phylogenetic position is controversial, either as a taxon in Tettigonioidea or within the clade of Gryllacridoidea. Similarly, the origin of tibial auditory systems in Ensifera is controversial. Therefore, we investigated the neuronal structures of the proximal tibiae of Stenopelmatus spec. with the hypothesis that internal sensory structures are similar to those in tympanate Ensifera. In Stenopelmatus the complex tibial organ consists of three neuronal parts: the subgenual organ, the intermediate organ, and a third part with linearly arranged neurons. This tripartite organization is also found in tympanate Ensifera, verifying our hypothesis. The third part of the sense organ found in Stenopelmatus can be regarded by the criterion of position as homologous to auditory receptors of hearing Tettigonioidea. This crista acustica homolog is found serially in all thoracic leg pairs and contains 20 \± 2 chordotonal neurons in the foreleg. The tibial organ was shown to be responsive to vibration, with a broad threshold of about 0.06 ms\−2 in a frequency range from 100\–600 Hz. The central projection of tibial sensory neurons terminates into two equally sized lobes in the primary sensory neuropil, the medial ventral association center. The data are discussed comparatively to those of other Ensifera and mapped phylogenetically onto recently proposed phylogenies for Ensifera. The crista acustica homolog could represent a neuronal rudiment of a secondarily reduced ear, but neuronal features are also consistent with an evolutionary preadaptation.

}, keywords = {chordotonal organ, Ensifera, neuroanatomy, sensory evolution, Stenopelmatidae, vibrational communication}, issn = {00219967}, doi = {10.1002/cne.v511:110.1002/cne.21836}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/cne.v511\%3A1}, author = {Strau{\ss}, Johannes and Lakes-Harlan, Reinhard} }