<p class="HeadingRunIn"><strong>Updated checklist of the ice-crawlers (Insecta: Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) of North America, with notes on their natural history, biogeography and conservation</strong></p>

Abstract

We provide an updated checklist and comprehensive distributional record of Grylloblatta (Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) in North America. These distribution records are based upon a thorough review of the literature, as well as unpublished data of the authors and colleagues. Thirteen species of Grylloblatta are currently described, with up to 16 additional taxa awaiting formal description. Distributional data shows that endemism of Grylloblatta is high and geographic range size is typically small: the median geographical area of 13 species and six putative species is 179 km 2 . It is clear that there is a general lack of knowledge of species range limits and local population sizes; for example, three Grylloblatta species are known from just a single locality and less than 15 specimens each. Conservation status ranks are suggested in order to update the IUCN Red List and national Natural Heritage Network Database. Finally, we describe the natural history and seasonality of Grylloblatta, discuss their unique biogeography, and provide recommendations for future surveys of grylloblattid species by highlighting known distributional gaps.

Current status of the systematics and evolutionary biology of Grylloblattidae (Grylloblattodea)

“…3 for currently described species). This, however, is a dramatic underestimate of species richness (Schoville & Graening, 2013), as there are numerous undescribed taxa in both Asia and North America (Namkung, 1982;Vickery, 1998;Schoville, 2010). Species descriptions have come slowly for Grylloblattidae, in part due to the lack of specimens available for study, particularly rare adult males.…”

“…Schoville & Kim (2011) and identify three putative new taxa in South Korea and 17 putative new taxa in Japan. If one considers additional criteria, for example combined genetic and geographical data (Schoville & Graening, 2013), the number of undescribed taxa may be further inflated (for example, to as many as 16 undescribed taxa in North America).…”

“…Due to their climate-sensitive microhabitat specialization, rarity and limited geographical distribution, grylloblattids are obvious candidates for conservation prioritization. Recent attention has been given to their perceived sensitivity to climate change (Jarvis & Whiting, 2006;Bai et al, 2010), although there is little evidence that populations have declined (Schoville & Graening, 2013). In fact, grylloblattids have Fig.…”

“…In the past decade, our understanding of the evolutionary diversification of grylloblattids has grown, giving prospect to elaborating other aspects of their biology, in particular their ecology, physiology and behaviour. Specific accomplishments include clarification and extension of grylloblattid geographic distributions (Schoville, ; Schoville & Graening, ), species richness patterns (Kim & Lee, ; Bai et al , ; Schoville & Roderick, ; Schoville, ; Schoville et al , ), phylogenetic relationships (Klass et al , ; Terry & Whiting, ; Jarvis & Whiting, ; Schoville & Kim, ; Schoville et al , ) and morphological variation (Dallai et al , ; Uchifune & Machida, ; Wipfler et al , ) in Asia and North America. Problems revealed in Grylloblattidae systematics include uncertainty in the relationship of extant species to fossil ‘grylloblattids’ (Béthoux et al , ; Cui, ), paraphyly of the genera Namkungia Storozhenko & Park and Galloisiana Caudell (Schoville & Kim, ), the many undescribed cryptic species (Jarvis & Whiting, ; Schoville & Roderick, ; Schoville et al , ), and a highly divergent lineage of Galloisiana from northern Japan that may warrant generic status (Schoville et al , ).…”

“…Problems revealed in Grylloblattidae systematics include uncertainty in the relationship of extant species to fossil ‘grylloblattids’ (Béthoux et al , ; Cui, ), paraphyly of the genera Namkungia Storozhenko & Park and Galloisiana Caudell (Schoville & Kim, ), the many undescribed cryptic species (Jarvis & Whiting, ; Schoville & Roderick, ; Schoville et al , ), and a highly divergent lineage of Galloisiana from northern Japan that may warrant generic status (Schoville et al , ). Resolving these taxonomic problems is necessary not only to facilitate further study of grylloblattid biology, but also, critically, for identifying and monitoring rare and potentially threatened species (Schoville & Graening, ). Here I review the recent advances in grylloblattid research and discuss outstanding questions that should be addressed in future efforts.…”