Bioacoustics of Ammopelmatus cephalotes

1869. Stenopelmatus cephalotes Walker. Catalogue of the specimens of Dermaptera Saltatoria in the collection of the British Museum 1:195. Holotype (Fig. 1404) adult male based on presence of fully formed hooks: (1) red label holotype (2) W. coast of Amer (3) Stenopelmatus cephalotes Walker. Deposited NHMUK. Megacephalic. Measurements in mm: Body length 31.5, hind femur length 14.5, hind femur width 5.1. Type (Fig. 1405) with 5 inner and 3 outer rear leg tibial spines. Innermost #1 calcar long, as seen is Longispinus Group. 1916. Stenopelmatus fuscus . Hebard, Journal New York Entomological Society, 24, 74. This synonymy clearly in error since S. fuscus is not found along the West coast of America. 2021. Ammopelmatus cephalotes . Weissman et al. (2020) Zootaxa, 4917, 1–122. Transferred to Ammopelmatus based of rear leg tibial spines and geographic locality. New status: Nomen dubium , given lack of adequate locality data and any calling drum information. Derivation of name. “cephalo” is Greek for “with a head or headed”, apparently in reference to the megacephalic condition of the holotype . Discussion. Designating this name nomen dubium is an easy call because there is no specific locality given and the “west coast of America”, in 1869, has uncertain borders, and could include anywhere from southern Canada as far south as the border with Mexico . Within the western United States , the Longispinus Group (see p. 135) includes a number of species with a similar elongated rear leg #1 tibial calcar. The Group ranges, along the coast, from southwest Canada to central California. Almost all members share a uniform karyotype; but with different trilling patterns in their calling drums, and different numbers of rear leg tibial spine arrangements. The 5 inner and 3 outer rear leg tibial pattern, seen with this specimen, would most closely agree with A. longispinoides . But the latter is almost never megacephalic. Plus, there are a number of other California taxa with a long rear leg tibial calcar #1, leaving its identification impossible.