First record and DNA barcoding of the Oriental ant cricket Myrmecophilus orientalis in Rhodes, Greece (Orthoptera: Myrmecophilidae)
Abstract
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.
Article Details
- How to Cite
-
Kalaentzis, K., Stalling, T., Kaitetzidou, E., BIOSCAN COLLECTIVE, W. S. I., & Triantafyllidis, A. (2026). First record and DNA barcoding of the Oriental ant cricket Myrmecophilus orientalis in Rhodes, Greece (Orthoptera: Myrmecophilidae). ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA, 35(1), 101–105. Retrieved from https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/entsoc/article/view/44898
- Section
- Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons 4.0 license.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
