First record and DNA barcoding of the Oriental ant cricket Myrmecophilus orientalis in Rhodes, Greece (Orthoptera: Myrmecophilidae)


Δημοσιευμένα: May 29, 2026
Konstantinos Kalaentzis
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4986-796X
Thomas Stalling
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2734-4922
Elisavet Kaitetzidou
WELLCOME SANGER INSTITUTE BIOSCAN COLLECTIVE
Alexandros Triantafyllidis
Περίληψη

The ant cricket Myrmecophilus orientalis Stalling, 2010 is a recently described myrmecophilous orthopteran previously known in Greece only from the islands of Kos and Tilos. Here, we report the first confirmed record of the species from Rhodes (Dodecanese, Greece), based on both morphological examination and mitochondrial DNA barcoding of the Cytochrome c Oxidase I (COI) gene. Specimens were collected during targeted surveys of ant nests across the island. Adults were found both within nests of Camponotus samius and under stones without ants, while juveniles were recorded inside nests of Pheidole koshewnikovi, representing a new host association for the species. COI sequences (655 bp) obtained from three individuals were identical and formed a single haplotype. BLASTn searches showed ≥99% similarity to published sequences of M. orientalis from Kos. Maximum Likelihood analysis recovered a well-supported monophyletic clade including all Aegean specimens, clearly separated from other European congeners (M. acervorum, M. balcanicus, M. baronii, and M. ochraceus). The concordance between morphological and molecular evidence confirms the presence of M. orientalis on Rhodes and highlights the value of DNA barcoding for species delimitation and faunistic surveys of cryptic myrmecophilous Orthoptera in the Mediterranean region.

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