Mogoplistidae
family of orthopterans
Mogoplistidae is a family of scaly crickets and allies within the superfamily Grylloidea. Considered to be monophyletic, a sister taxon to the Gryllidae crickets. This family consists of more than 370 species worldwide; 20 species in 4 genera occur in North America and this family includes the scaly crickets of Europe.
Subfamilies, Tribes and selected Genera
The Orthoptera Species File lists the following:
Malgasiinae
Auth.: Gorochov 1984; distribution: Madagascar and Indian Ocean islands
Malgasia Uvarov, 1940
Mogoplistinae
Auth.: Brunner von Wattenwyl 1873
tribe Arachnocephalini Gorochov 1984
Apterornebius Ingrisch, 2006
Arachnocephalus Costa, 1855
Bothromogoplistes Gorochov, 2020
Cycloptiloides Sjöstedt, 1909
Cycloptilum Scudder, 1869
Discophallus Gorochov, 2009
Ectatoderus Guérin-Méneville, 1847
Ornebius Guérin-Méneville, 1844
Pseudomogoplistes Gorochov, 1984
†Archornebius Gorochov, 2010
†Pseudarachnocephalus Gorochov, 2010
tribe Mogoplistini Brunner von Wattenwyl 1873
Biama Otte & Alexander, 1983
Collendina Otte & Alexander, 1983
Derectaotus Chopard, 1936
Eucycloptilum Chopard, 1935
Gotvendia Bolívar, 1927
Hoplosphyrum Rehn & Hebard, 1912
Kalyra Otte & Alexander, 1983
Kiah Otte & Alexander, 1983
Marinna Otte & Alexander, 1983
Microgryllus Philippi, 1863
Micrornebius Chopard, 1969
Mogoplistes Serville, 1838
Musgravia Otte, 1994
Oligacanthopus Rehn & Hebard, 1912
Pachyornebius Chopard, 1969
Paramogoplistes Gorochov, 1984
Pongah Otte & Alexander, 1983
Talia Otte & Alexander, 1983
Terraplistes Ingrisch, 2006
Tubarama Yamasaki, 1985
Yarabina Otte, 1994
†Protomogoplistinae
†Protomogoplistes Gorochov, 2010 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
Ecology
These crickets have a worldwide distribution: especially in tropical/subtropical environments near water. Like many other crickets, they are omnivorous scavengers and will eat fungi, plant material, and other insects. Members of this family are distinguished from closely related families by the scales that covers their abdomen and parts of their thorax and resemble those of Lepidoptera.
History
The family was originally described by Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1873, but a genus (mogoplistes) was described earlier, 1838, by Serville and was the basis for the family nomenclature. Mogoplistidae has three subfamilies: Mogoplistinae, Malgasiinae and Protomogoplistinae. Little work has been completed to classify and describe these crickets although work has been done on their acoustic development and identification of new characters.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Mogoplistidae” is family of orthopterans. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Mogoplistidae, family and orthopterans, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “family of orthopterans” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q10587474. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1984, 1940, 1873 and 2006.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Mogoplistidae” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.