Thaumatogryllus conanti

Thaumatogryllus conanti
Artist's rendition
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Family:	Gryllidae
Genus:	Thaumatogryllus
Species:	T. conanti
Binomial name
Thaumatogryllus conanti D. Otte, 1994

Thaumatogryllus conanti is a nocturnal species of cricket endemic to the island of Nihoa, where it is found in Devil's Slide, a narrow ravine. It is named after Dr. Sheila Conant, the scientist who discovered it in the 1980s. There are only four known species in this wingless genus, all in Hawaii. One species is found only in lava tubes on the Island of Hawaii.

Gigantism is mostly found in plants and animals on tiny, remote islands (see island gigantism). This is because largeness provides a survival advantage. Usually, larger size makes it harder to escape from predators, but in these cases, there are none. This insect probably lost the capacity for flight in exchange for larger size. The average length is about 4 centimetres (1.6 in).^[1]

References

1. ^ A. C. Ziegler, "Hawaiian natural history, ecology and evolution", University of Hawai'i Press (2002) p. 295.

• N. Evenhuis and L. Eldredge, Natural History of Nihoa and Necker Islands, Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, 2004.
• M. Rauzon, Isles of Refuge: Wildlife and History of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 2001.