ON THE CRICKETS (ORTHOPTERA : GRYLLIDAE) OP DHARMAPURI DISTRICT, TAMILNADU, INDIA

Dharmapuri District of 'Tamilnadu was selected by Zoological Survey of India for faunistic surveys durirg 1985 and 1986. The district was surveyed twice by the Southern Regional Station of Zoological Survey of India-once in April 1985 and again in February-March 1986. The first survey focussed on the northwestern, western and southwestern areas, while the second was devoted to the southern and southeastern areas. As a member of both the survey teams, the present author was able to collect, observe and examine a considerable number of gryllids. The present paper deals with this material, totalling 212 specimens, belonging to 28 species under subfamilies of Family Gryllidae.

Key to species of Teleogryllus from Dharmapuri district }kad with or without faint yellow band along internal margin of eyes; all veins of lateral field of tegmina equally distant; ovipositor subequal to body length Distribution: Distributed widely in India including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Also in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Borneo, Indochina, Philippines, Tenasserim, China, Vietnam.
Remarks: This species was found to be abundant under stones In the bank of a jheel at Sa~eri.Distribution: Distributed over most Indian states.Also Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, kecords of the Zoological Survey of India Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia.Borneo, Celebes.
Remarks: This is the first record of this species from Dharmapuri district and the third from Tamilnadu, the earlier ones being from Madurai and Valparai (Coimbatore district).Vasanth (in press-2) recorded it for the first time from Kerala.
Distribution: Manipur, eastern India to UP south to Kerala with the absence of Andhra Pradesh.Also reported from Sri Lanka, Burma and Sudan (?).
Remarks: As far as is known at present, this species has a wider distribution In South India than in the northern, northwestern and northeastern parts of India.The present record extends its known range within Tamilnadu.Although Bhowmik (1985) included this species in his checklist of Gryllidae from the Eastern Himalaya, there is no record of it so far from that region. .
Material examined: Dharmapuri dist.: 1 0 , 1 ~,Hogenekal, along R; Remarks: The present record is the third of this species from Tamilnadu, the earlier ones being from Coimbatore, and from the Javadi Hills (Vasanth, in press-l).
Key to the species of Modicogryl/us from Dharmapuri district 1. Colouration blackish, with rufous or rufous-yellow legs; head without ornamentation; posterior emargination of epiphallus of male genitalia with a median projection Distribution: Assam (7), w.Bengal, UP, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu.Also ,recorded from Burma, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia (Java), Australia, Solomon Islands.
Remarks: All the specimens studied show concave anterior margin of pronotum and completely rufous to yellow-rufous legs.Posterior tibiae of male with 5 internal and 6 external spines, those of females with 5 spines on both margins.Apical field of male tegmina with 4 regular veins.Ovipositor of females with apical valves blunt, not acute as described by Chopard (1969).Sub genital plate of male broad anteriorly, notched apically.
Although the male specimen appears to be quite definitely of the genus M odicogry1/u~ Chopard, on the basis of its external features, its genitalia does not key down to this lenus in Randell (1964); it differs in (1) having quite conspicuous transverse parameral muscle apodeme in endoparameres, and (2) the absence of expanded parameral muscle insertion in endoparameres.This is the second record of this species from South India, the first being from Madurai in Tamilnadu.Vasanth (1982) expressed doubts about the record of this species from Assam because he examined a female specimen in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP), USA, identified as blennus by Chopard, which he actually found to be a female of Stephoblemmus humbertiellus Saussure.Since Chopard (1969) mentions the repository of the specimen from Assam as ANSP, if this is the only specimen from Assam identified as blennus (Sauss.) in the ANSP collection, the specimen remains unknown from Assam.Hence, the query mark after 'Assam' under 'Distribution'.Distribution: Northeastern India west to Haryana and Rajasthan, south to Karnataka and Tamilnadu, Andaman Islands.Also known from Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Iran.

Remarks:
The earlier records of this species in Tamilnadu are from Masinagudi (Nilgiri Hills), Madurai, and Javadi Hills (Vasanth,

in press-I).
A few of the specimens examined show a horizontal yellow band across the occiput connecting the short vertical lines.Tllis may be distinct in some, indistincl ,~ others, ateDdins almost up to end of 5th abdominal tergite; wings short, nbt extending beyond tOlmina.
Although Chopard (1967) placed G. supplicans (Walker) as a synonym of G. ,Igillatus (Walker), Chopard (1969), which went to press earlier than the former but ,as published later, regarded G. supplicans as a separate species.It is the opinion of the present author that synonymising supplicans (Walker) with sigillatus (Walker) is justified.This is because macroptery appears to be the primary characteristic which distinguishes supp/icans from sigillatus, and macropterous forms of sigillatus have been bred in the laboratory.
It is interesting to note that the genitalia of one male specimen from Kottapatti differs from Randell (1964) in one important feature, viz., presence of transverse parameral ,muscle apodeme on endoparameres.Additional differences are the absence of large U-shaped posterior emargination and a small V-shaped emargination.Distribution: India; Tamilnadu; Sri Lanka.
C. martini is so far known to be restricted to Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka.The 'present specimen is the northernmost record for the species.Key to the species of Velar;fictDfUs from Dharmapuri district Lateral ocelli connected by transverse yellow band; face of male highly concave; mandibles ot male greatly elongated and excavated; postero .. median projection of epipballus of male genitalia not deeply notched ••• aspersus (Walker) Lateral ocelli not confiected by a band; face of male not concave; mandibl.~ of male neither greatly elongated nor excavated; postero-median projection of epiphallus deeply notched to form two lobes fallax (Chopard) 14.Velarifictoros aspersos (Walker)
Remarks: Chopard (1969) has mistakenly included Valparai in Karnataka state (erstwhile Mysore state) in the 'Range' of the present species.In fact, Valparai is in the state of Tamilnadu.This is the reason for Vasanth's (in press-I) mistaken opinion that his was the first record of this species from Tamilnadu (viz., Javadi Hills).Vasanth (1982) had earlier recorded it for the first time from Arunachar Pradesh.Further, the first report from Kerala was by Vasanth (in press-2).The present record is an extension of its range in Tamilnadu.Interestingly in that state the records of this species, so far, have only been from hilly regions.Distribution: Restricted the fol1owing states in South India : Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu.
Remarks: The tegmina of the specimen extend up to the 7th abdominal tergite.
The pres~nt record from Tamilnadu is the first from that state.Distribution: India: Pondicherry (type-locality) t Tamilnadu.
Remarks: Since its description in 1928 this species is, so far, known only from the type locatity-:Pondicberry.The specimen before the present author II the second record of the species, and the first from Tamilnadu.
The gen italia of the male is figured here for the first time.
Remarks: The distribution of this species, as currently known, is rather patchy, with wide gaps in the northern, northeastern and western parts of India.There are only three records from TamiInadu, including the present one from Dharmapuri drlstrict; the other two are from Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli.
The tegmina of the specimen show 2 or 3 large cells towards the rounded apex.