Cardiodactylus novaeguineae ( Haan, 1842 )

Robillard, Tony, 2009, Eneopterinae crickets (Insecta, Orthoptera, Grylloidea) from Vanuatu, Zoosystema 31 (3), pp. 577-618 : 587-590

Cardiodactylus novaeguineae ( Haan, 1842)

Gryllus (Platydactylus) novae-guineae Haan, 1842: 233 .

Cardiodactylus novae-guineae – Saussure 1878: 659 (type comparison). — Kirby 1906: 88 (type species of Cardiodactylus ). — Chopard 1915: 149; 1929: 49; 1931: 140; 1969: 312.

Cardiodactylus novaeguinea – Otte 1994: 65 (misspelling). — Robillard 2004: 29; 2006: 674 (morphological phylogeny). — Robillard & Desutter-Grandcolas 2004a: 273; 2004b: 578 (calling song); 2006: 644 (molecular and morphological phylogeny). — Eades et al. 2008.

Cardiodactylus novaeguineae – Chopard 1968: 351. — Bhowmik 1981: 43. — Otte & Alexander 1983: 310. — Otte et al. 1987: 42. — Oshiro 1995: 44. — Yin & Liu 1995: 97. — Rentz 1996: 140 (Australian populations, biology, calling song). — Willemse 2001: 110 (biology). — Otte 2007a: 345. — Otte & Cowper 2007: 239. — Robillard et al. 2007 (calling song). — Robillard & Ichikawa in press (redescription and neotype definition).

TYPE MATERIAL. — Indonesia. [Papua Province], Biak Is., XI.1953, L.v.s. Hammen, ♂ neotype ( RMNH).

Paraneotypes (7 ♂♂, 14 ♀♀): Indonesia. [Papua Province], Biak [Is.], 20.II.1952, L. D. Brongersma, 1 ♂ ( RMNH). — [Biak Is.], Base Biak, 17-24.III.1952, L. D. Brongersma & W. J. Roosdorp, 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ ( RMNH). — [Biak Is.], Schouten Islands, Base Biak, W of Sorido, 24.I.1955, L. D. Brongersma, 1 ♀ ( RMNH). — Biak [Is.], X-XI.1953, Pers Kon Marine, 1 ♀ ( RMNH).

Papua New Guinea. [Manus Province], Manus Is., Lorengau, 6.VI.1967, R. E. & R. M. Blackith, 1 ♀ (MNHN-ENSIF2044). — [Morobe Province], [Papua Is.], Lae, 29.V.1967, R. E. & R. M. Blackith, 2 ♂♂ (MNHN-ENSIF2045, 2046). — [Oro Province], [Papua Is.], Mt. Lamington, 1300-1500 ft., C. T. McNamara, 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, identified Cardiodactylus novae guineae by L. Chopard ( SAMA). — [Milne Bay Province], Misima Is., Louisiade Arch., Narian, 0-500 m (No 8), 1956, fifth Archbold Exped. to New Guinea, L.J. Brass, 1 ♀ ( AMNH). — Misima Is., Louisiade Arch., Rev. R. J. Andrew, 1 ♀, identified Cardiodactylus novae guineae by L. Chopard ( SAMA). — Rossel Is., Louisiade Arch., Abaleti, 0-500 m, fifth Archbold Exped. to New Guinea, L. J. Brass, 1 ♀ ( AMNH). — [New Ireland Province], New Ireland [Is.], E. R. Waite, 2 ♀♀, identified as Cardiodactylus novae guineae by L. Chopard ( SAMA).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Indonesia, Biak Is.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — (For details and complete list of material see Robillard & Ichikawa in press) Vanuatu. Malampa Province, Malekula Is., 1 ♀. — Tafea

Province, Aneityum Is., 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, 1 juv. — Tanna Is., 4 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, 1 juv. — Erromango Is., 1 ♂. — Shefa Province, Efate Is., 3 ♀♀. — Epi Is., 1 ♀. — Penama Province, Pentecost Is., 1 ♂. — Aoba Is., 1 ♀. — Sanma Province, Espiritu Santo Is., 23 ♂♂, 18 ♀♀, 36 juv. — No precision, 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀. — Matantas, pointe de Quirros, 2 ♂♂, 6 juv. — Peavot, 12 ♂♂, 11 ♀♀, 14 juv. — Penaoru, 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 3 juv. — Big Bay, Vatthé Conservation Area, 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ — Village de Kole, Loru Protected Area, 4 juv. — Nattawa, 4 juv. — Luganville, site du CTRAV, 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, 2 juv. — Funafus, 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, 3 juv.

DISTRIBUTION. — Cardiodactylus novaeguineae is widely distributed, occuring in coastal areas of most of the South Pacific Melanesian and Oceanian islands (Robillard & Ichikawa in press).

DIAGNOSIS. — Despite important variation in size and colouration related to its wide distribution, C. novaeguineae is generally a rather large species, with characteristic colouration pattern, a two-part calling song, and very distinctive male genitalia (Robillard & Ichikawa in press). See Robillard & Ichikawa (in press) for a complete redescription and a detailed list of material examined and distribution of the species.

HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY TRAITS

The species lives in coastal regions in open forested areas, near borders and edges. Individuals are found in Espiritu Santo on or under large leaves, on low plants, bushes or low trees, between 30 cm and 3 m in height ( Table 1). Juveniles commonly gather on the same plants and are sometimes found in the leaf litter, while adults are generally more spaced from one another ( Tables 1; 2). Foraging occurs from afternoon to night and no difference was observed in positioning between day and night, either for adults or juveniles.

BEHAVIOUR

Calling song

Males call from dusk to late at night, but a few males were heard calling earlier during afternoon by cloudy days. Th e calling song consists of irregular phrases including single or two-part echemes (see Robillard & Ichikawa [in press] for measurements). For analysed songs, the dominant frequency is 15.8 ± 0.5 kHz at 25°C and corresponds to the third harmonic of the song(Robillard et al. 2007); the mean fundamental frequency is about three times lower (5.3 ± 0.2 kHz).

Courting song

This song is less intense than the calling song. It has similar long-syllable and short-syllable components as the calling song, but unevenly arranged, with series of one component sometimes repeated during several minutes.

Copulatory behaviour

Several matings were observed in the field in Espiritu Santo, on tree branches or large leafs at 1-3 m in height. During copulation, the female mounts the male while its FWs are raised at 90°, and pushes male’s FWs forward with her head. Mounting lasts long compared to other species (pers. obs., c. 80 s, n=2). Multiple mating (2 or more) and male guarding behaviour have also been observed (pers. obs. 2008).