First natural history observations of the canyon pygmy mole cricket, Ellipes monticolus (Orthoptera: Tridactylidae)

Abstract

The first live photos of the canyon pygmy mole cricket, Ellipesmonticolus Gunther, are presented, with preliminary observations on the habitat and behavior of populations in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The species was previously known solely from the original description in 1977, which included only drawings of the structure of the genitalia and almost no natural history information. This paper provides the first look at this species’ biology and provides a framework for future studies on Tridactylidae of the southwestern United States.