Calperum ottei

3 A recently described pygmy cricket at Cook, ACT

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Identification history

Calperum ottei	4 Mar 2019	MichaelMulvaney
Bobilla sp. (genus)	18 Mar 2018	RogerF
Bobilla sp. (genus)	18 Mar 2018	CathB

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Significant sighting

MichaelMulvaney noted:

4 Mar 2019

First record of this genus of Pygmy Cricket in the Canberra area, an undescribed possibly new species

6 comments

Youning wrote:

22 Nov 2018

Calperum sp.

jgl wrote:

5 Mar 2019

Youning Su is the Orthoptera scientist at the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Canberra. He is currently publishing an Australian cricket field guide (in-press) with retired CSIRO scientist David Rentz. This specimen (genus) should be marked as a significant sighting: until very recently, the genus Calperum was known only from Calperum station just north of Renmark, South Australia, and from Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Very recently, a specimen was found near Round Hill, NSW (just north of Wagga Wagga). Finding this genus in Canberra is astonishing given its proximity to the Australian National Insect Collection, which has been sampling the Canberra insect fauna for nearly a century. After seeing this record Youning Su managed to collect a specimens, and established that these crickets were not active after 8 AM (but perhaps were active through the night). This unusual activity, apparently restricted to the early morning, is perhaps why they have never been recorded in the ACT.

RogerF wrote:

5 Mar 2019

Indeed a great find, congratulations to Cath. Such small crickets are often overlooked and are good at avoiding cameras and close-ups. Was this specimen in grassland or woodland?

AaronClausen wrote:

5 Mar 2019

Well done Cath you legend.

jgl wrote:

5 Mar 2019

Original description: Rentz, D.C.F. & Su, Y.N. 1996. New apterous Pygmy Crickets from Australia with notes on their habitats and re-evaluation of characters defining the Australian genera (Gryllidae: Nemobgiinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 5: 185-198

Yet to be determined if its the same species

CathB wrote:

5 Mar 2019

Thanks everyone. It was found very close to a fairly sharp boundary between woodland and grassland, but on the woodland side. This particular area was excluded from a prescribed burn in 2014.
When I checked my original photos, I discovered a second one taken at the time which is possibly slightly clearer. I will try to add it now.

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