Rhaphidophoridae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Ordo: Orthoptera
Subordo: Ensifera
Superfamilia: Rhaphidophoroidea

Familia: Rhaphidophoridae
Subfamiliae: Aemodogryllinae – Anoplophilinae – Ceuthophilinae – Dolichopodainae – Gammarotettiginae – Macropathinae – Rhaphidophorinae – Troglophilinae – Tropidischiinae – †Protroglophilinae
Source(s) of checklist:
subfamiliae after Storozhenko & Paik, 2010: 50–51

Check: Hadenoecinae
Overview of genera

Maotoweta – Miotopus – Troglophilus
Name

Rhaphidophoridae Walker, 1871
References

Walker, F. 1871. Catalogue of the Specimens of Dermaptera Saltatoria in the Collection of the British Museum, Supplement 1-116. Reference page.

Additional references

Storozhenko S.Y. & Paik J-c., 2010. A new subfamily of the Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatoidea), with description of a new species of the genus Anoplophilus Karny, 1931 from Korea. Zootaxa, 2421: 49–60. Preview.
Gorochov A.V., 2010. New species of the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatoidea) from China. Far Eastern entomologist, 206: 1–16 (PDF).

Links

Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on BugGuide.
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on Encyclopedia of Life (EOL).
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on Fauna Europaea.
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on Fossilworks.
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on Interim Register of Marine and Non-marine Genera (IRMNG).
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on New Zealand Organisms Register (NZOR).
Rhaphidophoridae – Taxon details on Orthoptera Species File.
Rhaphidophoridae in the World Register of Marine Species

Vernacular names
français: gryllacrides ou sauterelles cavernicoles
日本語: カマドウマ科

The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution.[1] Common names for these insects include the cave wētā, cave crickets, camelback crickets, camel crickets, Hogan bugs,spider crickets (sometimes shortened to "criders", or "land shrimp" or "sprickets",[2]) and sand treaders. Those occurring in New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania are typically referred to as jumping or cave wētā.[3] Most are found in forest environments or within caves, animal burrows, cellars, under stones, or in wood or similar environments.[4] All species are flightless and nocturnal, usually with long antennae and legs.[3] More than 1100 species of Rhaphidophoridae are described.[1]

The well-known field crickets are from a different superfamily (Grylloidea) and only look vaguely similar, while members of the family Tettigoniidae may look superficially similar in body form.

Description
Camel cricket

Most cave crickets have very large hind legs with "drumstick-shaped" femora and equally long, thin tibiae, and long, slender antennae. The antennae arise closely and next to each other on the head. They are brownish in color and rather humpbacked in appearance, always wingless, and up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long in body and 10 cm (3.9 in) for the legs. The bodies of early instars may appear translucent.

As their name suggests, cave crickets are commonly found in caves or old mines. However, species are also known to inhabit other cool, damp environments such as rotten logs, stumps and hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards, and logs.[4][5] Occasionally, they prove to be a nuisance in the basements of homes in suburban areas, drains, sewers, wells, and firewood stacks. One has become a tramp species from Asia and is now found in hothouses in Europe and North America. Some reach into alpine areas and live close to permanent ice, such as the Mount Cook "flea" (Pharmacus montanus) and its relatives in New Zealand.[6][7]
Subfamilies and genera
Aemodogryllinae

Genera include:

tribe Aemodogryllini Jacobson, 1905 - Asia (Korea, Indochina, Russia, China), Europe
Diestrammena Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888
Tachycines Adelung, 1902
tribe Diestramimini Gorochov, 1998 - India, southern China, Indo-China
Diestramima Storozhenko, 1990
Gigantettix Gorochov, 1998

Ceuthophilinae

cave crickets, camel crickets and sand treaders: North America

tribe Argyrtini Saussure & Pictet, 1897
Anargyrtes Hubbell, 1972
Argyrtes Saussure & Pictet, 1897
Leptargyrtes Hubbell, 1972
tribe Ceuthophilini Tepper, 1892
Ceuthophilus Scudder, 1863
Macrobaenetes Tinkham, 1962
Rhachocnemis Caudell, 1916
Styracosceles Hubbell, 1936
Typhloceuthophilus Hubbell, 1940
Udeopsylla Scudder, 1863
Utabaenetes Tinkham, 1970
tribe Daihiniini Karny, 1930
Ammobaenetes Hubbell, 1936
Daihinia Haldeman, 1850
Daihinibaenetes Tinkham, 1962
Daihiniella Hubbell, 1936
Daihiniodes Hebard, 1929
Phrixocnemis Scudder, 1894
tribe Hadenoecini Ander, 1939 - North America
Euhadenoecus[1] Hubbell, 1978
Hadenoecus Scudder, 1863
tribe Pristoceuthophilini Rehn, 1903
Exochodrilus Hubbell, 1972
Farallonophilus Rentz, 1972
Pristoceuthophilus Rehn, 1903
Salishella Hebard, 1939

Dolichopodainae

cave crickets: southern Europe, western Asia
Female Dolichopoda schiavazzii from Tuscany

Dolichopoda Bolivar, 1880

Gammarotettiginae

Auth. Karny, 1937 - N. America

tribe Gammarotettigini Karny, 1937
Gammarotettix Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888

Macropathinae
Pachyrhamma edwardsii from New Zealand
tribe Macropathini Karny, 1930 - Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Falkland Islands

Australotettix Richards, 1964
Cavernotettix Richards, 1966
Dendroplectron Richards, 1964 – New Zealand
Heteromallus Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888
Insulanoplectron Richards, 1970 – New Zealand
Ischyroplectron Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
Isoplectron Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
Macropathus Walker, 1869 – New Zealand
Maotoweta Johns & Cook, 2014 – New Zealand
Micropathus Richards, 1964 – Australia
Miotopus Hutton, 1898 - New Zealand
Neonetus Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888 – New Zealand
Notoplectron Richards, 1964
Novoplectron Richards, 1966 – New Zealand
Novotettix Richards, 1966
Pachyrhamma Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888 – New Zealand
Pallidoplectron Richards, 1958 – New Zealand
Pallidotettix Richards, 1968
Paraneonetus Salmon, 1958 – New Zealand
Parudenus Enderlein, 1910
Parvotettix Richards, 1968
Petrotettix Richards, 1972 – New Zealand
Pharmacus Pictet & Saussure, 1893 – New Zealand
Pleioplectron Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
Setascutum Richards, 1972 – New Zealand
Spelaeiacris Peringuey, 1916
Speleotettix Chopard, 1944
Tasmanoplectron Richards, 1971
Udenus Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1900

Talitropsis sedilloti
tribe Talitropsini Gorochov, 1988
Talitropsis Bolivar, 1882 – New Zealand

† Protroglophilinae

† Prorhaphidophora Chopard, 1936
† Protroglophilus Gorochov, 1989

Rhaphidophorinae

tribe Rhaphidophorini Walker, 1869 - India, southern China, Japan, Indo-China, Malesia, Australasia
Diarhaphidophora Gorochov, 2012
Eurhaphidophora Gorochov, 1999
Minirhaphidophora Gorochov, 2002
Neorhaphidophora Gorochov, 1999
Pararhaphidophora Gorochov, 1999
Rhaphidophora (insect) Serville, 1838
Sinorhaphidophora Qin, Jiang, Liu & Li, 2018
Stonychophora Karny, 1934

Troglophilinae

cave crickets: Mediterranean

Troglophilus Krauss, 1879

Tropidischiinae

camel crickets: Canada

Tropidischia Scudder, 1869

An as-yet-unnamed genus was discovered within a cave in Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument, on the Utah/Arizona border, in 2005. Its most distinctive characteristic is that it has functional grasping cerci on its posterior.[8]
Ecology

Their distinctive limbs and antennae serve a double purpose. Typically living in a lightless environment, or active at night, they rely heavily on their sense of touch, which is limited by reach. While they have been known to take up residence in the basements of buildings,[9] many cave crickets live out their entire lives deep inside caves. In those habitats, they sometimes face long spans of time with insufficient access to nutrients. Given their limited vision, cave crickets often jump to avoid predation. Those species of Rhaphidophoridae that have been studied are primarily scavengers, eating plant, animal, and fungi material.[9] Although they look intimidating, they are completely harmless.[10][unreliable source?]

The group is known as "sand treaders" is restricted to sand dunes, and are adapted to live in this environment. They are active only at night, and spend the day burrowed into the sand, to minimize water loss. In the large sand dunes of California and Utah, they serve as food for scorpions and at least one specialized bird, LeConte's thrasher (Toxostoma lecontei). The thrasher roams the dunes looking for the tell-tale debris of the diurnal hiding place and excavates the sand treaders (range of bird is in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in U.S.).
Interactions with humans
Drawing of the grasshopper engraving

Cave and camel crickets are of little economic importance except as a nuisance in buildings and homes, especially basements. They are usually "accidental invaders" that wander in from adjacent areas. They may reproduce indoors, seen in dark, moist conditions, such as a basement, shower, or laundry area, as well as organic debris (e.g. compost heaps) to serve as food. They are fairly common invaders of homes in Hokkaido and other chilly regions in Japan. They are called kamado-uma or colloquially benjo korogi (literally "toilet cricket").

A representation of a female from the Troglophilus genus has been found engraved on a bison bone in the Cave of the Trois-Frères,[11] showing that they were likely already present around humans, maybe as pets or pests, in caves inhabited by prehistoric populations in the Magdalenian.
References

Eades, David C. (2016). "Orthoptera Species File".
Ambrose, Kevin (2016-11-08). "Spider crickets: The bugs you don't want in your house this fall". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
Allegrucci, Giuliana; Trewick, Steve A.; Fortunato, Angela; Carchini, Gianmaria; Sbordoni, Valerio (2010-07-01). "Cave Crickets and Cave Weta (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) from the Southern End of the World: A Molecular Phylogeny Test of Biogeographical Hypotheses". Journal of Orthoptera Research. 19 (1): 121–130. doi:10.1665/034.019.0118. ISSN 1082-6467. S2CID 86260199.
Richards, Aola (1987). "Distribution and relationships of the Australian Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera)". In Baccetti, Baccio (ed.). Evolutionary Biology of Orthopteroid Insects. Chichester, West Sussex: Halstead Press. pp. 438–449. ISBN 0745802087.
Hegg, Danilo; Morgan-Richards, Mary; Trewick, Steven A. (2019). "Diversity and distribution of Pleioplectron Hutton cave wētā (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Macropathinae), with the synonymy of Weta Chopard and the description of seven new species". European Journal of Taxonomy (577). doi:10.5852/ejt.2019.577. ISSN 2118-9773.
Hegg, Danilo; Morgan-Richards, Mary; Trewick, Steven A. (2022). "High alpine sorcerers: revision of the cave wētā genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Macropathinae), with the description of six new species and three new subspecies". European Journal of Taxonomy (808): 1–58–1–58. doi:10.5852/ejt.2022.808.1721. ISSN 2118-9773. S2CID 247971884.
Trewick (2015). "weta geta".
"New genus of cricket found in Arizona cave". Live Science. 5 May 2006. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
Richards, Aola (1961). "Some observations on New Zealand Cave-Wetas". Tuatara. 9 (2): 80–83.
Rick Steinau. "Camelback Crickets". Ask the Exterminator. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021.
Bégouën, Henri (1929). "Sur quelques objets nouvellement découverts dans les grottes des Trois Frères (Montesquieu-Avantès, Ariège)". Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique de France (in French). 26 (3): 188–196. doi:10.3406/bspf.1929.6692. ISSN 1760-7361..