An abdominal stridulation organ in Cyphoderris (Prophalangopsidae) and concerning the systematic classification of the Ensifera (Saltatoria)

Abstract

Ensiferan insects (crickets, katydids, grigs and allies) are well known for rubbing parts of their cuticle together to produce sound: a process called stridulation. In this article Swedish entomologist Kjell Ander describes a novel (at the time) stridulatory apparatus in the great grig, Cyphoderris monstrosa (Prophalangopsidae), a relict ensiferan found in the mountainous regions of western North America. Ander used preserved specimens to predict the sound-producing function of a pair of abdominal file-scraper apparatuses, although he was never able to directly test his proposed mechanism nor did he speculate as to the adaptive significance of the structures. The article concludes with a review of the systematic placement of various higher level taxa within the order Orthoptera, of which Ensifera is one suborder.