''Thaumatogryllus conanti'' is a nocturnal species of

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the island of

Nihoa Nihoa (; or ), also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is the tallest of ten islands and atolls in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). The island is located at the southern end of the NWHI chain, southeast of Necker ...

, where it is found in Devil's Slide, a narrow ravine. It is named after Sheila Conant, the scientist who discovered it in the 1980s. Including ''T. conanti'', there are only four known species in the genus '' Thaumatogryllus'', which is endemic to Hawaii. Another species is found only in

lava tube A lava tube, more rarely called a pyroduct, is a 'roofed conduit through which molten lava travels away from its vent'. If lava in the tube drains out, it will leave an empty cave. Lava tubes are common in low-viscosity volcanic systems. La ...

s on the Island of Hawaii. Island gigantism is mostly found in plants and animals on tiny, remote islands. 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 .A. C. Ziegler, "Hawaiian natural history, ecology and evolution", University of Hawai'i Press (2002) p. 295.

References

*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. {{Taxonbar, from=Q7711445 Tree crickets Endemic fauna of Nihoa Insects of Hawaii Insects described in 1994