Brachytrupes megacephalus

Brachytrupes megacephalus is a species of cricket in the family Gryllidae.[1][2]

Brachytrupes megacephalus
Brachytrupes megacephalus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Suborder:	Ensifera
Superfamily:	Grylloidea
Family:	Gryllidae
Subfamily:	Gryllinae
Genus:	Brachytrupes
Species:	B. megacephalus
Binomial name
Brachytrupes megacephalus (Lefèvre, 1827)
Synonyms
Brachytrypes megacephalus (Lefebvre, 1827) Gryllus megacephalus Lefebvre, 1827

Description and behavior

Brachytrupes megacephalus can reach a length of about 40 millimetres (1.6 in). This species is characterized by a very large head (hence the species name megacephalus) and strong jaws. The tibia of the front and rear legs are armed with big teeth which facilitate the action of digging the deep holes in sandy soils in which these crickets live. These insects have crepuscular and nocturnal habits. The mating period extends from mid-March to the end of April. After mating, the males keep the females captive in their holes until they lay their eggs.[3][4][5]

Brachytrupes megacephalus (Lefèvre, 1827) photographed on 24 Apr 2018 at Capo Pecora (Sardinia)

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in sandy environments in Sardinia, Sicily, Malta and North Africa.[6] [7]

Brachytrupes megacephalus photographed at Capo Pecora (Sardinia)

Bibliography

• Saussure. 1877. Mem. Soc. Phys. Hist. Nat. Geneve 25(1):285 [117]
• Kirby, W.F. 1906. A Synonymic Catalogue of Orthoptera (Orthoptera Saltatoria, Locustidae vel Acridiidae) 2:23
• Giglio-Tos. 1907. Boll. Musei Zool. Anat. Comp. R. Univ. Torino 22(563):23
• Lefebvre. 1827. Ann. Soc. Linn. Paris 6:10
• Serville. Histoire naturelle des insectes. Orthoptères 326
• Randell. 1964. Canadian Ent. 96:1587 >> Brachytrupes megacephalus
• Massa. 2009. Jour. Orth. Res. 18(1):78 >> Brachytrupes megacephalus
• Cassar. 2009. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta 2:126 >> Brachytrupes megacephalus
• Sahnoun, Doumandji & Desutter-Grandcolas. 2010. Zootaxa 2432:8 >> Brachytrupes megacephalus
• Brizio, C. 2018. Biodiversity Journal, 2018, 9 (2): 135–142 >> Bioacoustic evidence of two uncommon crickets from SW Sardinia, including an analysis of the song of B. megacephalus in the ultrasonic range

References

1. Biolib
2. Orthoptera Species
3. Entomologi Italiani
4. Serville A., 1838. Histoire naturelle des insectes. Orthoptères p. 326
5. Petralia A., Russo C., Cartarrasa S., 2003. TOPOLOGY OF BRACHYTRUPES MEGACEPHALUS (LEFEBVRE, 1827) (ORTHOPTERA, GRYLLIDAE) IN SOME SICILIAN NATURAL RESERVES
6. Fauna europaea
7. Erminia Conti Eco-ethology of Brachytrupes megacephalus (Orthoptera, Gryllidae), protected species in UE