Orthoptera Eumastacoidea: India
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Orthoptera Eumastacoidea
Introduction
This superfamily is a highly heterogeneous complex and probably polyphyletic in its origin. The knowledge on the group is scanty because of its rarity and cryptic habits. These grasshoppers are mainly found in tropical zones. There are nearly 800 species occurring throughout the world, which includes 28 Indian species. These are harmless insects, which live among bushes. Oviposition takes place in the soil.
Eumastacids may be characterised as follows: Body of variable shape; frons mostly flattened; antennae short, their lower apical part usually with tubercle-like antennal. organ; postemal proCess absent; pronotum flattened dersally brunner's organ present and tympanal organ absent.
Historical Resume
Fossils of the group are negligible to be of any use in understanding the evolution and geographical distribution. The origin of Eumastacidae is assumed in the end of Palaeozoic period. The dispersal of these archaic forms, which are no longer to be found might have occurred during the Mesozoic.
Earlier workers on the group include Walker (1870), StAI (1875-1877), Karsch (1889, 1896), Scudder (1898), Burr (1899, 1903), Brunner von Wattenwyl (1898), Brunner (1901) and Saussure (1903). However, the first attempt to study the Indian forms was made by Kirby (1914) and Bolivar (1914). Bolivar (1930, 1932 and 1944) .has published many papers on Eumastacids. Bei¬Bienko (1949) has revised one subfamily Gomphomastacinae and later Bei-Bienko &Mistshenko (1951) described the species of Eumastacidae of USSR. Rehn (1904, 1948 and 1952), Rehn &Grant (1958), Rehn &Hebard (1918), Rebn &Rebn ( 1934-1945) have contributed much towards the knowledge on the group. Recently, Descamps (1964-1975) has revised the group. He has published fauna ofEumastacids of Africa, America, Colombia, Congo, Indo-Malaya, Madagascar, Philippines and Venezuela.
Studies from Different Environs
The Eumastacoidea have a pantropical distribution, but certain subfamilies (Gomphomastacinae, Morseinae, Parepisactinae) are found in cool regions, sometimes in areas where very low temperature persists.
The Indo-Malayan fauna shows direct evolutionary connection with the Ethiopian fauna and to a lesser extent with the Neottopical fauna No direct relationship. is found, however, between the Ethiopian and Neotropical fauna, with the exception of one archaic family, Episactidae.
In India this group has been studied from South India, North-Eastern India and North-West Himalayan regions. It is found mostly in forest areas.
Estimation of Taxa
On the basis of characters of fossil and existing forms, in particular the extremity of male abdominal appendage, it is possible to distinguish altogether 7 families. Out of these, three families are found in Indian region, namely Chlorotypidae, Eumastacidae and Mastacideidae : having a total of 28 species. Mastacideidae is found only in South India.
Classification
The classification of Eumastacoidea is followed here after Descamps (1973). Study of the endopballic structure in most of the 200 known genera from all over the world makes it possible to recognise four major groups of Eumastacoidea, namely Cryptophalli, Stenophalli, EuphalH and Disclerophalli. The Cryptophalli has two families, Chorotypidae and Episactidae. Chorotuypidae is divided into six subfamilies. These subfamilies (Chorotypinae, Prionacanthinae, Erianthinae, Eruciinae, Chininae, Mnesicleinae) are distributed in Indo-Malayan region except the subfamily Chorotypinae which is also distributed in Africa. Family Episactidae has four subfamilies, and all are distributed in Central America and Madagascar.
The Stenophalli has two families, namely Morabidae and Eumastacidae. Family Morabidae has two subfamilies, which are distributed in Australian region. Family Eumastacidae has 9 subfamilies, which are distributed in America, except Gomphomastacinae whose distribution is in central Asia The group Eupballi has only one family, Mastacideinae, with one subfamily, which is found only in India. The group Disclerophalli has two families, 9 subfamilies, all are distributed in Africa. Thus, there are 7 families and 31 subfamilies in the world, of which 3 families and 5 subfamilies occur in India.
Expertise
Abroad
R. E. Blackith, Department of Genetics, University of Melbourne, Parkville No.2, Victoria. (Australia).
C. Amedegnato &M. Descamps, Laboratoire d' Entomologie, Museum National D' Histoire Naturelle, 45, rue de Buffon, F. 75005 Paris (France).
Selected References
Bolivar, C. 1914. Eumastacinos nuevos 0 poco conocidos (Orthoptera, Locustidae). Trab. Mus. Cience. nat. Madrid. 16 : 47 pp. Bolivar, C. 1930. Monografia de los Eumastacidos. Trab. Mus. Cience. nat. Madrid, 46: 380 pp. Descamps, M. 1973. Revision des Eumastacoidea (Orthoptera) aux Echelons des families et des sous-families (Genitalia, Repartition, Phylogeny). Acrida, 2 : 161-298.
Descamps, M. 1974. Diagnosese et signalisation d' Eumastacoidea (Orthoptera) II. Indo-Ma1aisi~. Bull. Mus. natn. Hist. Paris (3) 161 (237) : 1033-1053. Descamps, M. 1975. Revision du genre Erianthus Stal, 1875 (Orth. Eumastacoid~ Erianthinae). Ann. Soc. ent. Fr. (N.S.) 11 (1) : 91-136.
Kirby, W. F. 1914. The Fauna of British Ir.dia. including Ceylon and Burma. Orthoptera (Acridiidae), ix + 276 pp. Taylor and Francis Ltd., LondoD.
