''Thaumatogryllus'' is a genus of
crickets in the family Gryllidae. It currently consists of four species, all of which are
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. Though very little is known about any of these species, it can be confirmed that ''T. conantae'' shows obvious signs of
island gigantism. The other three species, especially ''T. cavicola'', may also be affected by this phenomenon.
Species
*''
Thaumatogryllus cavicola'' - volcanoes cave cricket (
island of Hawaii)
**This cricket spends its entire life on the ceiling of
lava tube
A lava tube, or pyroduct, is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave.
Formation
A lava tube is a type of lava ca ...
s. If it were to descend to the floor, it would quickly be eaten by hunting spiders. It likes to eat roots that hang from the ceiling.
*''
Thaumatogryllus conanti''
D. Otte, 1994 - Conant's giant Nihoa tree cricket (
Nihoa
Nihoa (; haw, Nīhoa ), also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is the tallest of ten islands and atolls in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). The island is located at the southern end of the NWHI chain, southeast of N ...
)
*''
Thaumatogryllus mauiensis'' - (
Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
)
*''
Thaumatogryllus variegatus'' - Kauai thin-footed bush cricket (
Kauai
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7711444
Tree crickets
Insects of Hawaii
Endemic fauna of Hawaii