Colossopus grandidieri
| Colossopus grandidieri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Parc Mosa, Ifaty, Madagascar | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Tettigoniidae |
| Subfamily: | Conocephalinae |
| Tribe: | Euconchophorini |
| Genus: | Colossopus |
| Species: | C. grandidieri |
| Binomial name | |
| Colossopus grandidieri Saussure, 1899 | |
Kung-fu cricket (Colossopus grandidieri)[1] is a nocturnal bush cricket endemic to Madagascar.[2]. The genus is recognized by, among other things, the horn-like structure on the head, with three spines, one of which is significantly longer than the others. The genus contains two other species, C. parvicavus is smaller and C. redtenbacheri is brighter in color.
Description and behvaior
[edit source]C. grandidieri is large in size, has three spine-like strukture on its head and are very dark in color. When confronted, adults rear up on their hind legs, spread their forelegs, and open their mandibles, ready to strike, in a defensive posture. Adult males make a shrill noise when in this position, while adult females are silent. Other diffrences in the sex is the labrum ("upper lip") is orange-red in females and yellow-orange in males. Females lay pale brown, cigar-shaped eggs that are deposited singly in soil, measuring only 6 mm when laid and swelling in size as they develop over three months to a year. Egg development is thought to be regulated by rainfall. Females lay 150 to 200 eggs in a lifetime.
This specie appears to be omnivorous. Its the only member of its genus that has been bred successfully in captivity. The diet includes leaves, fruit, living and dead insects (including individuals of its own kind), and processed food including dog food and fish flakes. The diet in its natural environment is less well known.
C. grandidieri has three spines on its head, wich one is clearly larger. The genus Oncodopus has only one large spine and the genus Malagasopus has three spines but the structure is smaller. For more certain determination the specie key is needed.[3]
Distribution and habitat
[edit source]The range is clearly concentrated in the ecoregion defined as the Madagascar spiny thickets which is classified as semi-arid and hot climate in the Köppen climate classification. This is the region that receive least rainfall in Madagascar.
References
[edit source]- ↑ Saussure HLF (1899) Abh. Senckenb. Natforsch. Ges. 21: 628.
- ↑ "Colossopus grandidieri". iNaturalist. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ↑ ÜNAL, MUSTAFA; BECCALONI, GEORGE W. (2017-10-31). "Revision of the Madagascan genera Oncodopus Brongniart and Colossopus Saussure (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae; Euconchophorini), with description of Malagasopus gen. nov". Zootaxa. 4341 (2): 193. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4341.2.2. ISSN 1175-5334.