Thaumatogryllus conanti
Encyclopedia
Thaumatogryllus conanti is a nocturnal species of cricket
endemic
to the island of Nihoa
, where it is found in Devil's Slide, a narrow ravine. It is named after Dr. Sheila Conant, the scientist who discovered it in the 1980s. There are only four known species in this wingless genus, all in Hawaii. One species is found only in lava tube
s on the Island of Hawaii.
Gigantism
is mostly found in plants and animals on tiny, remote islands (see island gigantism
). 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 4 centimetres (1.6 in).
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the island of Nihoa
Nihoa
Nihoa , also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is the largest and tallest of ten islands and atolls in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands . The island is located at the southern end of the NWHI chain, southeast of Necker Island...
, where it is found in Devil's Slide, a narrow ravine. It is named after Dr. Sheila Conant, the scientist who discovered it in the 1980s. There are only four known species in this wingless genus, all in Hawaii. One species is found only in lava tube
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
s on the Island of Hawaii.
Gigantism
Island gigantism
Island gigantism or insular giantism is a biological phenomenon in which the size of animals isolated on an island increases dramatically in comparison to their mainland relatives....
is mostly found in plants and animals on tiny, remote islands (see island gigantism
Island gigantism
Island gigantism or insular giantism is a biological phenomenon in which the size of animals isolated on an island increases dramatically in comparison to their mainland relatives....
). 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 4 centimetres (1.6 in).