STUDIES ON SOME INDIAN CRICKETS WITH NEW DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORDS OF THE SUB-FAMILY GRYLLINAE (GRYLLIDAE ORTHOPTERA)

The paper deals with new taxonomic characters and new distri ... butional records of 14 species spread over 7 genera of the subfamily Gryllinae of Indian fauna. The material studied in this paper includes the unnamed materials collected by the Zoological Survey of India tour parties from different parts of the country including the South Andaman Island. All material examined hereinunder are deposited in the National Collection of the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. All measurements used in the paper are in mm. The number of specimens measured in each case is indicated, wherever measurements are given.


INTRODUCTION (a) General
The paper deals with new taxonomic characters and new distri . . . butional records of 14 species spread over 7 genera of the subfamily Gryllinae of Indian fauna. The material studied in this paper includes the unnamed materials collected by the Zoological Survey of India tour parties from different parts of the country including the South Andaman Island.
All material examined hereinunder are deposited in the National Collection of the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. All measurements used in the paper are in mm. The number of specimens measured in each case is indicated, wherever measurements are given.

(b) Acknowledgements
The writer owes his indebtedness to Dr. D. N. Raychawdhuri, Reader, Dept. of Zoology, Calcutta University, for guidance during h.i~ study and to late Prof. L. Chopard, Paris, for substantial help in many ways.  Chopard, Eos, 37 : 269;Randell, 1964, Can ad. Ent., 96 : 1592 229 ) has the frontal rostrum convex, more than one and balf times as wide as the first ~ntennal segment; clypeo frontal suture slightly but broadly arched in males and almost straight in females. Size and shape of the two yellow spots at base of elytra may be very prominent or very inconspicuous, sometimes the entire basal region upto a distance of 1.5 is yellowish. Remarks.-The male specimens have the frontal rostrum one and half times as wide as the first antennal segment. Clypeo frontal suture almost straight. The male genitalia shows more affinity to the genus Te/eogryllus but differs from the genus Gfy/lus in not having trilobed epipballus and more or less tuberculated posterior portion of ectoparameres rather than the digitiform one. The species is 'known from Rajasthan, Karn~tak, Tamil Nadu and also from Assam.

Genus (3) Modicogryllus
1877. Gryl/us consobrinus Saussure, Mem. Soc. Phys. Hist. nat. Geneve, 25 : 356· 1961. Modicogryllus cOllfirmata Chopard, Eos, 37 : 272;Randell, 1964, Conad., Ent.,  Remarks.-The species has the frontal rostrum convex, a little wider than the width of first antennal segement. Ventral view of male, genItalia as in fig. Alnong the allied species of the genus, it is more close to M. clarellus (S.) which is separable from the present species by its somewhat hook· like apical end of ectoparamere and shorter ovipositor. This species is recorded herewith for the nrst time from Rajasthan, Haryana, Santal Parganas and Manipur.
Material.-l a, 3 ~~, Humprygunj, South Andaman Island, Remarks.-The male specimens at hand show the clypeo frontal suture variable-it may be almost straight or strongly arcuate. In females the elytra shorter than the abdomen by 2 to 2.5 mm. Chopard (1954) created the species, Acheta meyeri, suggesting its resemblance to M. clarellus but separated from the former by its different colouration of head and very little undulating clypeo frontal suture inspite of similarity in genital complex. I consider meyeri Ch. as a synonym of clarellus Sauss. in view of similarities in genital complex as in my opinion it is considered a more important character for the purpose of separation of the species than either colouration or shape of clypeo frontal suture. The species was known so far from Java, Sumba, Burma and Timor. It is recorded herewith for the first time from India.

ModicogryUus blennus
Remarks .-The female specimens (8-9. 5, elytra 5-6. 5, ovipositor 5.5-6) studied have the frontal rostrum about one and half times as wide as the first antennal segment. Dorsal field of elytra with three clear veins and a sort of two branches from the discoidal and these are irregularly disposed; lateral field with second vein distinctly curved and widely separated from the rest. The species is recorded here for the first time from Rajasthan. Genus (4) Platygryllus Chopard, 1961 6. Platygryllus melanocephalus (Serville) (Text- fig. 1 C) 1839. Gryl/us melanocephalus Serville, Ins. Orth., 342. 1961. Platygryllus lnelanocephalus Chopard, Eos, 37: 276;Randell, 1964, Canad. Ent Remarks .-There is some confusion about the identity of the species, the type which is a female specimen from Bengal, being lost. The male is described here. Chopard (1969) gives the figure of geni .. talia and gives a very short description of a specimen which he considers as the male of the species. My observations supplement, however, his findings. Male: Body varies from deep wine to shiny black. Head small, smooth, shiny black, as wide as the pronotum in front; vertex not ornamented, moderately convex; frontal rostrum about one and half times as wide as the first antennal segment, converging at the middle. Lateral ocelli prominent and rufous. Face, maxillary palpi and antennae concolourous with head but less shiny, transverse with a median longitudinal suture, pubescent with very fine hairs, evenly widened ,at posterior end, anterior margin concave, posterior one nearly straight or slightly obtuse; lateral lobes with somewhat rounded angles at both ends, concolourous with pronotum. Anterior tibia with a small round internal and a big oval external.tympanum in each; posterior femora moderately stout; posterior tibiae with six external and five internal spines. Elytra brownish on the dorsal field except the h,umeral edge and a part of the basal anal field which are yellowish; mirror obliquely disposed, wider than long; supero-anterior and inferoposterior angles with somewhat rounded corners but other two more or less angulated, divi4ed by a curved vein much below the middle, not united with the chords; four oblique veins, the first of which distinctly sinuate, other three slightly curved; diagonal almost straight; apical field promi. nent, clearly reticulated and with four curved veins and two false veins; the mediastinal vein with three to four branches; lateral field with six regularly spaced curved veins. Previously known from Bengal, Kashmir, Nepal and Burma, the species is reported here for the first time from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

Gryllus guttiventris
Renlarks.-This is the only Indian representative of the genus-The members of the species are found in abundance in West Bengal during rainy season. The species differs in colouration depending on ecological conditions. The specimens (a a 14-16, ~~ 13-14) at hand show the frontal rostrum more than one and half times as wide as the first antennal segment. Though the species is more· or less common throughout oriental region, it is a new record for Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and 'Santal Parganas. Genus (6) TeIeogryllus Chopard, 1961 9. TeJeogryUus mitratus (Burmeister) Burmeister, Hand en!., 2: 734. 1961. Te/eogryl/us Initrotus Chopard, Eos, 37: 277;Randell, 1964, Canad. Ent., 96: 1596. Remarks.-The specimens studied exhibit the frontal rostrum narrower than one and half times as wide as the first antennal segment; clypeo frontal suture distinct and almost straight; eyes encircled by a characteristic yellowish band. Posterior femora longer than the posterior tibia, each tibia with six internal and seven external spines, the superoexternal spur remarkably shorter than the interm~diate external one (about half the size). Specimens from Arunachal Pradesh are usually shorter in size but darker in colouration and with more clear colour pattern on head.

Gry/lus nlitra!lIs
Though the species is common throughout the oriental region, it has never been recorded earlier from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim and South Andaman Island.
Relnarks.-The specimens . examined show the frontal rostrum about one and half times as wide as the first antennal segment. Clypeo frontal suture moderately arched at the middle. Male genitalia almost identical to that of V aspersus but differs in the structure of ectoparamere and in the point of attachment of mesal lobe with it. Since its publication from Sri Lanka, it is the first reference of its occurrence in a place other than its type locality and is a new record from India.
The species was described from Dehra Dun and is now one more example of male specimen, has been available from Noorpur Forest Division, Dist. Gurdaspur (Punjab) which is identical to type.
14. Velarifictorus fallax (Chopard) ( Remarks. The species has the frontal rostrum slightly more than twice as wide as the first antennal segment and rounded when viewed from above, on profile slightly concave in the middle. Clypeo frontal suture moderately arcuate; ante clypeus concolourous with head and pronotum, but the apical portion of clypeus and mandibles rufous. Chopard (1969) described the species from Karnatak. The specimens examined here tally closely with original description save for their smaller size, shorter elytra and ovipositor.

SUMMARY
The paper deals with the studies of 14 species of Crickets distri .. buted over 7 genera of the subfamily Gryllinae (Gryllidae: Orthoptera) of Indian fauna. Modicogryllus calarellus (Saussure) and Velari./ictorus ceylonicus (Chopard) are new records for India. The male of Platygryllus melanocephalus (Serville) is described in full for the first time and a nunlber of new distributional localities are recorded for most of the species. Acheta meyeri (Chopard) is synonymised with M. Clarellui (Sours).