Phylogeny and biogeography of cave crickets (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae)

Cave cricket or camel cricket (Raphidophoridae) is an old and wingless group in Orthoptera whose worldwide distribution except Antarctica represents endemic for each inner taxa. Despite its old history and wide distribution, due to its morphological uniformity and lack of remarkable characteristics such as wings, the phylogenetic positions of some groups have been unknown. To shed light on the systematics of Raphidophoridae and biogeographic history based on endemic distribution, the molecular phylogeny of Raphidophoridae was reconstructed using multi-locus data including all subfamilies for the first time. We revealed the phylogenetic positions of subfamilies, suggesting new synapomorphy, which was a controversial taxon in systematics, and there is a revision in taxonomic status. The biogeographic hypotheses were evaluated by estimated divergence time without using geological calibration, revealing new biogeographical history. We estimated the origin of Raphidophoridae with a new hypothesis that lineage diversification was affected by other prehistoric events.