Araneagryllus
Encyclopedia
Araneagryllus is an extinct monotypic
genus
of cricket
in the subfamily Phalangopsinae
with the sole species Araneagryllus dylani. The fossil was recovered in the Dominican Republic
from early Miocene
Burdigalian
stage Dominican amber
deposits on the island of Hispaniola
. Araneagryllus is the first Phalangopsinae cricket to be described from the fossil record.
The genus is known from a single 12.11 millimetre (0.476771653543307 in) long female specimen, the holotype
, currently deposited in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History
in New York City
, as number "DR-12-32", and which was first studied by Dr. Sam W. Heads
. Dr. Heads published his 2010 type description in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
volume number 158. The genus name is a combination of the Latin
aranea meaning "spider" and gryllus,meaning "cricket" in reference to the common name given the subfamily where Araneagryllus is placed. The species name is in honor of Dylan L. Heads, son of Dr. Heads. The female has a notable development of a white "emulsion" developed around the mouth parts and on the abdomen.
Araneagryllus dylani possesses a wide shield-like, pronotum which has irregularly spaced setae and prominent ridges along the center and margins. The legs are long with areas of short and long setae, and are marked with a pattern of dark marking ranging from spots on the profemur to stripes on the mesotibia. The metatibia sports two rows of ten to twelve spines, four subapical spurs, and three apical spurs. The middle apical spur is notably longer than the other two spurs. Both cerci
the joint of one hind leg and the ovipositor
are incomplete, having been removed during shaping and polishing of the amber specimen. Cladistic analysis places Araneagryllus within a clade composed of Arachnopsita, Leptopedetes, Longuripes, Mayagryllus, Nemoricantor, and Prolonguripes. All seven genera, among other characters, possessing an elongated middle apical spur.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of cricket
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
in the subfamily Phalangopsinae
Phalangopsinae
Phalangopsinae, occasionally known as "spider crickets", are a subfamily of the cricket family Gryllidae. Members of Phalangopsinae are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. Most species in the subfamily are nocturnal and can be found in rocky areas, near fallen wood, and the...
with the sole species Araneagryllus dylani. The fossil was recovered in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
from early Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
Burdigalian
Burdigalian
The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma...
stage Dominican amber
Dominican amber
Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic. Resin from the extinct species Hymenaea protera is the source of Dominican amber and probably of most amber found in the tropics....
deposits on the island of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. Araneagryllus is the first Phalangopsinae cricket to be described from the fossil record.
The genus is known from a single 12.11 millimetre (0.476771653543307 in) long female specimen, the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, currently deposited in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, as number "DR-12-32", and which was first studied by Dr. Sam W. Heads
Sam W. Heads
Sam W. Heads is a British entomologist and insect palaeontologist, a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London and an Officer of the Orthopterists' Society....
. Dr. Heads published his 2010 type description in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society is the scientific journal of the Linnean Society published by Wiley-Blackwell.According to EBSCOhost, it "[p]resents original papers on zoology with an emphasis on the diversity, systematics, interrelationships, and habits of animals both living and...
volume number 158. The genus name is a combination of the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
aranea meaning "spider" and gryllus,meaning "cricket" in reference to the common name given the subfamily where Araneagryllus is placed. The species name is in honor of Dylan L. Heads, son of Dr. Heads. The female has a notable development of a white "emulsion" developed around the mouth parts and on the abdomen.
Araneagryllus dylani possesses a wide shield-like, pronotum which has irregularly spaced setae and prominent ridges along the center and margins. The legs are long with areas of short and long setae, and are marked with a pattern of dark marking ranging from spots on the profemur to stripes on the mesotibia. The metatibia sports two rows of ten to twelve spines, four subapical spurs, and three apical spurs. The middle apical spur is notably longer than the other two spurs. Both cerci
Cercus
Cerci are paired appendages on the rear-most segments of many arthropods, including insects and arachnids but not crustaceans. Cerci often serve as sensory organs, but they may also be used as weapons or copulation aids, or they may simply be vestigial structures.Typical cerci may appear to be...
the joint of one hind leg and the ovipositor
Ovipositor
The ovipositor is an organ used by some animals for oviposition, i.e., the laying of eggs. It consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages formed to transmit the egg, to prepare a place for it, and to place it properly...
are incomplete, having been removed during shaping and polishing of the amber specimen. Cladistic analysis places Araneagryllus within a clade composed of Arachnopsita, Leptopedetes, Longuripes, Mayagryllus, Nemoricantor, and Prolonguripes. All seven genera, among other characters, possessing an elongated middle apical spur.