''Thaumatogryllus conanti'' is a nocturnal species of

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

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 the island of

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 ...

, where it is found in Devil's Slide, a narrow ravine. It is named after Sheila Conant, the scientist who discovered it in the 1980s. Including ''T. conanti'', there are only four known species in the genus ''

Thaumatogryllus ''Thaumatogryllus'' is a genus of crickets in the family Gryllidae. It currently consists of four species, all of which are endemic to Hawaii. Though very little is known about any of these species, it can be confirmed that ''T. conantae'' sho ...

'', which is endemic to Hawaii. Another species is found only in

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 on the Island of Hawaii. Island gigantism is mostly found in plants and animals on tiny, remote islands. This is because largeness provides a survival advantage. Usually, larger size makes it harder to escape from predators, but in these cases, there are none. This insect probably lost the capacity for flight in exchange for larger size. The average length is about .A. C. Ziegler, "Hawaiian natural history, ecology and evolution", University of Hawai'i Press (2002) p. 295.

References

*N. Evenhuis and L. Eldredge, ''Natural History of Nihoa and Necker Islands'', Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, 2004. *M. Rauzon, ''Isles of Refuge: Wildlife and History of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands'', University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 2001. {{Taxonbar, from=Q7711445 Tree crickets Endemic fauna of Nihoa Insects of Hawaii Insects described in 1994