Hapithus
Uhler, 1864
Species Guides
2- Hapithus agitator(Restless Bush Cricket)
- Hapithus brevipennis(Short-winged Bush Cricket)
Hapithus is a large of flightless bush crickets comprising over 200 described , primarily distributed across the Americas. Formerly treated as a separate genus, Orocharis has been synonymized with Hapithus and is now recognized as a subgenus. The genus is the namesake of the tribe Hapithini within the Oecanthidae. These crickets are characterized by their inability to fly, a trait that distinguishes them from many related bush crickets.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Hapithus: //ˈhæpɪθəs//
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Identification
Hapithus are distinguished from other Oecanthidae by their flightless condition, with reduced or absent wings in . The can be separated from its former synonym Orocharis (now subgenus Orocharis) by subtle morphological differences in genitalia and tegminal structure, though these characters require examination under magnification. Identification to species level is challenging and often requires analysis of male calling songs and detailed examination of terminalia.
Images
Distribution
Recorded from the United States (Alabama, Arkansas), Mexico, the Caribbean, and Brazil. The is broadly distributed across the Neotropical and Nearctic regions of the Americas.
Behavior
Males produce -specific calling songs to attract females, as is characteristic of the tribe Hapithini. The flightless condition restricts and likely influences mate-finding and structure.
Similar Taxa
- OecanthusBoth are bush crickets in the Oecanthidae, but Oecanthus retain functional wings and are capable of , whereas Hapithus is flightless.
- NeoxabeaAnother flightless in Oecanthidae; separation requires detailed examination of morphological characters and male genitalia.
More Details
Taxonomic synonymy
The Orocharis was recently determined to be a taxonomic synonym of Hapithus and is now treated as a subgenus (Hapithus (Orocharis)) rather than a separate genus. This consolidation increased the count of Hapithus substantially.
Family placement
There is some disagreement in databases regarding placement: GBIF and NCBI list Hapithus in Gryllidae, while Catalogue of Life and iNaturalist place it in Oecanthidae. Current consensus favors Oecanthidae based on recent phylogenetic work.