Falcerminthus parvus ( Baroga-Barbecho & Robillard, 2020 )

Tan, Ming Kai, Salvador, Jewel Anne G., Sabang, Aira Mae M., Bahoy, Daphne Cayle M., Nuñeza, Olga Macas & Robillard, Tony, 2023, Taxonomy and bioacoustics of little-known Grylloidea crickets (Orthoptera, Ensifera) from Mindanao, Philippines, Zootaxa 5323 (3), pp. 301-348 : 306-307

Falcerminthus parvus ( Baroga-Barbecho & Robillard, 2020)

( Figs 1–5 )

Lebinthus parvus Baroga-Barbecho et al., 2020: 419

Falcerminthus parvus —Tan et al., 2021: 1077 (new combination)

Specimens examined. PHILIPPINES • 1♁; Mindanao, Misamis Oriental, Gingoog City, Barangay Lunotan , foot of Mt Balatukan ; 14 February 2023; coll. A.M. Sabang, A. Gono, D.C.M. Bahoy & K. Grumo; MIN.23.39 ( ZRC)

Remarks. This species was first described in 2020 but the calling song was not known. The morphology and genitalia of our male specimen resemble that of the holotype ( Fig. 2 ).

Ecology. We observed this species dwelling among foliage of ground-over plants and moss among dead log in open forest ( Figs 1 , 3 , 4 ).

Type locality. PHILIPPINES, Mindanao Island, Misamis Oriental, Gingoog City, Barangay Lunotan

Distribution. PHILIPPINES (Mindanao Island: Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Agusan del Sur)

Calling song (1J, 29.2±1.2°C) ( Fig. 5 ). The calling song consists of an echeme including an average of 77±11 discrete syllables (41–90 syllables). The first few (ca. 10) syllables tend to be of lower amplitudes and erratic in duration and intervals; amplitude of syllable gradually increases to a maximum and stabilises at one third of echeme duration. Each echeme has a duration of 1.08±0.13 s (0.61–1.25 s). The average syllable duration is 7.23±0.75 ms (5.60–8.50 ms) and average interval between consecutive syllables is 5.87±0.95 ms (3.90–7.60 ms). The frequency spectrum is pure-tonal and forms a harmonic, with the energy peaking at the fundamental frequency. The dominant frequency is 18.46±0.45 kHz (17.91–19.41 kHz).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Falcerminthus parvus ♁ in its natural environment, open forested area at the foot of Mt Balatukan.

FIGURE 2. Falcerminthus parvus: head, pronotum and FWs in dorsal (A) and lateral (B) views; face in anterior view (C); ♁ genitalia in dorsal (D), ventral (E) and lateral (F) views. Scale bars: 2 mm (A–C), 1 mm (D–F).

FIGURE 3. Falcerminthus parvus ♀ in its natural environment, open forested area at the foot of Mt Balatukan.

FIGURE 4. Falcerminthus parvus juvenile in its natural environment, open forested area at the foot of Mt Balatukan.

FIGURE 5. Falcerminthus parvus ♁ calling song: oscillograms showing seven echemes (A) and one echeme (B); spectrogram of the same echeme (C); power spectra of a syllable (D) where the grey line represents the power [dB] (axis name and scale in grey) and the black solid peak represents the relative amplitude (axis name in black).