Pherodactylus Poinar, Su & Brown, 2020

Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J., Tavares, Gustavo Costa, Hu, Tian-Hao & He, Zhu-Qing, 2024, On the Myanmar amber field-crickets described as “ transitional ” mole crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidea), Zootaxa 5555 (4), pp. 579-589 : 584

† Pherodactylus Poinar, Su & Brown, 2020

= † Tresdigitus Xu, Fang & Wang, 2020

= † Pseudogryllotalpa Gu, Yuan & Ma, 2024 syn. nov.

= † Unidigitus Gu, Yuan & Yue, 2024 syn. nov.

= † Petilus Gu, Yuan & Ma, 2024 syn. nov.

Comments. The four previously mentioned genera are regarded as synonyms of † Pherodactylus . All the species and genera represent different sexes, developmental stages, or variations of one of the two currently recognized † Pherodactylus species. Generally, all the analyzed taxa exhibit a similar coloration pattern, with variations in the intensity of spots or stripes. However, they consistently display a pair of large spots on the pronotal disc resembling “eyespots.” Although Gu et al. (2024) stated that the species they studied lack ocelli, this should be re-evaluated, as ocelli are present (though faint) in the other taxa analyzed. The authors were likely unable to observe this character due to the preservation state of their specimens. One of the most distinctive features is the shape of the foreleg, tympanum, and dactyls, which are consistent across the different taxa examined. The tegmina are similar in length and shape, although venation is often not discernible in most specimens (only visible to the specimens studied by Cadena-Castañeda et al. 2023). The hind tibia, characterized by several small spines on the dorsal side near the apex, is another shared character among these taxa, further linking them to Sclerogryllus .

The mentioned characteristics are either consistently present or exhibit minor variations in the analyzed taxa. The genera proposed by Gu et al. (2024) are monotypic and have been synonymized under one of the two † Pherodactylus species. Each case is detailed and justified below.