Pseudolebinthus is an intriguing genus of the tribe Xenogryllini with a distribtuion restricted to southeast Africa and characterized by unique morphological features such as asymmetrical male forewings and harp veins shaped as elongated balloons. It is sister group to the widely distributed genus Xenogryllus and has been known by two species, P. africanus Robillard, 2006 and P. whellani Robillard, 2006. The genus was initially diagnosed based exclusively on male morphological features. In this study, we add a new species to the genus, P. gorochovi Robillard sp. nov. and revise the diagnostic features using both male and female characters. We also update identification keys for the species of the genus.

Subfamily Eneopterinae has been studied for its diversified acoustic modalities and disjunct distribution. The genus Xenogryllus Bolívar, 1890 is one of the oldest genera of the subfamily, and the first genus of the tribe Xenogryllini. Xenogryllus is known for its low-frequency calling songs and wide distribution across Africa and Asia. It is known from six species and has never been subject to formal taxonomic revision and description of acoustic features of their calling songs is lacking. Therefore, this study consists of a detailed taxonomic revision of all the species. We redescribe or append their taxonomic features using external morphological features and internal genitalic structures. We update the list of Xenogryllus by describing three new spe

In most taxa, species boundaries are inferred based on differences in morphology or DNA sequences revealed by taxonomic or phylogenetic analyses. In crickets, acoustic mating signals or calling songs have species-specific structures and provide a third data set to infer species boundaries. We examined the concordance in species boundaries obtained using acoustic, morphological, and molecular data sets in the field cricket genus Itaropsis. This genus is currently described by only one valid species, Itaropsis tenella, with a broad distribution in western peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Calling songs of males sampled from four sites in peninsular India exhibited significant differences in a number of call features, suggesting the existence of multiple species. Cluster analysis of the acoustic data, molecular phylogenetic analyses, and phylogenetic analyses combining all data sets suggested the existence of three clades. Whatever the differences in calling signals, no full congruence was obtained between all the data sets, even though the resultant lineages were largely concordant with the acoustic clusters. The genus Itaropsis could thus be represented by three morphologically cryptic incipient species in peninsular India; their distributions are congruent with usual patterns of endemism in the Western Ghats, India. Song evolution is analysed through the divergence in syllable period, syllable and call duration, and dominant frequency.

Traditional taxonomy based on morphology has often failed in accurate species identification owing to the occurrence of cryptic species, which are reproductively isolated but morphologically identical. Molecular data have thus been used to complement morphology in species identification. The sexual advertisement calls in several groups of acoustically communicating animals are species-specific and can thus complement molecular data as non-invasive tools for identification. Several statistical tools and automated identifier algorithms have been used to investigate the efficiency of acoustic signals in species identification. Despite a plethora of such methods, there is a general lack of knowledge regarding the appropriate usage of these methods in specific taxa. In this study, we investigated the performance of two commonly used statistical methods, discriminant function analysis (DFA) and cluster analysis, in identification and classification based on acoustic signals of field cricket species belonging to the subfamily Gryllinae. Using a comparative approach we evaluated the optimal number of species and calling song characteristics for both the methods that lead to most accurate classification and identification. The accuracy of classification using DFA was high and was not affected by the number of taxa used. However, a constraint in using discriminant function analysis is the need for a priori classification of songs. Accuracy of classification using cluster analysis, which does not require a priori knowledge, was maximum for 6–7 taxa and decreased significantly when more than ten taxa were analysed together. We also investigated the efficacy of two novel derived acoustic features in improving the accuracy of identification. Our results show that DFA is a reliable statistical tool for species identification using acoustic signals. Our results also show that cluster analysis of acoustic signals in crickets works effectively for species classification and identification.

Pteroplistes Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1873 is an Indo-Malaysian cricket genus with only one species, P. platycleis Bolivar, 1899(1900) known from India. Here, we redescribe the genus Pteroplistes and P. platycleis and describe two new Indian species, Pteroplistes kervasae Jaiswara, n. sp. and Pteroplistes masinagudi Jaiswara, n. sp. from the Western Ghats, using morphology and genitalia. Identification keys to separate the Indian species of Pteroplistes are provided and the distribution of the genus in India is discussed.

The subfamily Eneopterinae is known greatly for its diversified acoustic modalities and disjunct distribution. Within Eneopterinae, tribe Lebinthini is the most studied group, due to its highest species diversity (ca. 150 species in 12 genera), endemic distribution on the islands of Southeast Asia and of the South West Pacific, males’ ability to produce high‐frequency calling songs, and evolution of females’ vibrational response. To investigate the distribution pattern and diversification of acoustic and behavioral attributes in a larger frame, clear understanding of phylogenetic relationships within other tribes of Eneopterinae is vital. In this study, we focus on the tribe Xenogryllini, sister group of Lebinthini. Xenogryllini, as opposed to Lebinthini, is known by fewer species (11 species in two genera), distributed widely in continental Asia and Africa, and for producing low‐frequency calling songs. We describe a new genus Indigryllus with a new species of the tribe Xenogryllini, discovered from the southwest of India. We used eight molecular genetic markers to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships. The resultant phylogenetic tree is used to compare and discuss distribution patterns and acoustic modalities between Lebinthini and Xenogryllini.

Gryllinae are one of the most diverse and widely distributed cricket groups. However, in South America they are known only from 10 genera. We update this list by describing two new genera and species of field crickets i.e. Laureopsis nauta Jaiswara gen. nov., sp. nov. and Perugryllus estiron Jaiswara gen. nov., sp. nov. from Peru.

In India, the cricket subfamily Eneopterinae is represented by two known genera, Xenogryllus Bolívar, 1890 and Indigryllus Robillard & Jaiswara, 2019. The latter was recently described and is known from a single species I. kudremu Robillard & Jaiswara, 2019 from Karnataka, India. The species was known exclusively from its morphological features and there existed no information on its biology and acoustic features. The present study is a step ahead in understanding the natural history and acoustic signalling in the genus. Based on a collaboration initiated by citizen science observations on the website iNaturalist, we describe a new species, Indigryllus sagani sp. nov. from Kerala, India, with details on its habitat and acoustic signals.