Stenopelmatus cahuilaensis

Stenopelmatus cahuilaensis (commonly known as the Coachella Valley Jerusalem cricket) is a species of insect in family Stenopelmatidae (Jerusalem crickets). The species was found in the Coachella Valley and first published by Ernest R. Tinkham in September 1968, in The Great Basin Naturalist.[1]

Stenopelmatus cahuilaensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Stenopelmatidae
Genus: Stenopelmatus
Species:
S. cahuilaensis
Binomial name
Stenopelmatus cahuilaensis
Tinkham, 1968

Type specimen

The holotype specimen is a male and is at the California Academy of Sciences.[2] According to Tinkham, the species can be distinguished from other Jerusalem crickets as follows: Foretibiae bearing only two ventral apical spurs immediately posterioradly of the third and fourth calcars. Caudal tibiae with three dorsal apical or subapical teeth on each margin. Size large, coloration orangish.

Range and habitat

It is endemic to the United States, specifically the Coachella Valley of California.[3] They have been found from the Snow Creek to the sand dune areas surrounding the Palm Springs airport. Their preference is for sandy to somewhat gravelly soil and are considered a sand obligate species. They are found associated with the roots of local sunflower species, Ambrosia sp. and Encelia sp.[4]

Despite the arid environments in which they are found, they prefer high humidity and are most commonly observed following winter or spring rainstorms.beneath surface debris. During the hot and dry summer they pass daylight hours in deep burrows, only occasionally being found on the surface at night. Their preference for the western edge of the valley, which is cooler and more moist than the eastern part, may mean that they have a highly restricted range.[4]

Their food preference is for tubers, roots, and various plant detritus, but have also been observed consuming dead animals and are occasionally cannibalistic. The females lay small clusters of large eggs in soil pockets. Their life cycle may extend for three or more years,[4]

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References
  1. Ernest R. Tinkham (30 September 1968). "Studies in Nearctic desert sand dune Orthoptera. Part 11. A new arenicolous species of Stenopelmatus from Coachella Valley with key and biological notes". The Great Basin Naturalist. Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University. XXVIII (3): 124–131. ISSN 0017-3614.
  2. http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1132148
  3. http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=I07J
  4. California Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment for the Coachella Valley, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains Trails Management Plan, Riverside County: Environmental Impact Statement. 2002. p. 26.


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