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Ever seen a cave cricket? Australia now has three new species of these spindly, spider-like creatures

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · · 952 words · By Brock A Hedges; Perry G Beasley-Hall
Indigenous Recognition Biodiversity and Conservation Scientific Discovery
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Researchers have identified three new species of cave crickets in Australia using physical examination and DNA sequencing. The article details the naming process, including the first use of a Gundungurra word in Western scientific naming, and emphasizes the importance of formal classification for species conservation.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 15
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

When you picture a cave, you probably think of an environment devoid of life.

Why it matters

But for most caves on Earth, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Common ground

Caves are remarkably good at supporting life.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Researchers have identified three new species of cave crickets in Australia using physical examination and DNA sequencing. The article details the naming process, including the first use of a Gundungurra word in Western scientific naming, and emphasizes the importance of formal classification for species conservation.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/ever-seen-a-cave-cricket-australia-now-has-three-new…

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5
check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
schedule
Claim 1: “To our knowledge, this is the first time a Gundungurra word has been used in the the Western scientific naming process.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 2: “Because they can’t travel long distances, all of Australia’s species are endemic”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result mentions cave crickets in Australia, but the specific claim that 'all of Australia's species are endemic' because they cannot travel long distances is not corroborated by the other provided sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 16, 2026 ... Like most crickets, they'll eat just about anything, including plants, fungi, animals, and each other. Typically they exit caves at night to ...
https://www.facebook.com/ThePappasPost/posts/scientists-disc…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ... Australia, and contains only the species Pallidotettix nullarborensis. Like all cave crickets native to Australia, it belongs to the subfamily Macropathinae.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallidotettix
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 2, 2026 ... Perhaps the weirdest are cave crickets. Cave crickets are spindly, spider-like insects very different to your average backyard cricket. They can ...
https://theconversation.com/ever-seen-a-cave-cricket-austral…
schedule
Claim 3: “In fact, only a third of our insect fauna has been formally named”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 4: “Cave crickets... can’t chirp and are flightless.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries on caves and unrelated business/park listings. No specific evidence was found to corroborate that cave crickets are flightless and cannot chirp, although this is a known biological trait of the Rhaphidophoridae family, the provided evidence does not explicitly state it.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The formation and development of caves is known as speleogenesis; it can occur over the course of millions of years. [4] Caves can range widely in size, and are formed by various geological processes.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Cave DSM is a natural wine shop/bar in downtown Des Moines, IA. Live music, eclectic vinyl, light snacks, and more.
https://www.thecavedsm.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — With more caves than any state park, Maquoketa Caves is one of Iowa’s most unique outdoor attractions. Enormous bluffs tower throughout the park, and a six-mile trail system winds through geologic for…
https://www.iowadnr.gov/places-go/state-parks/all-parks/maqu…
schedule
Claim 5: “Today, fewer than 30 Australian cave cricket species have been formally described.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “Binoomea means “dark places” in Gundungurra, and is used by the Gundungurra people to refer to the Jenolan Caves.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 7: “Australia and New Zealand are home to an estimated 225,000 species of insects.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 8: “We chose the names Speleotettix aolae, S. binoomea, and S. palaga.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly list the names Speleotettix aolae, S. binoomea, and S. palaga as the three new species identified.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cavernotettix is a genus of cave crickets in the family Rhaphidophoridae, in South-Eastern Australia and Tasmania. There are five species in the genus Cavernotettix. The genus was first described by N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavernotettix
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution. Common names for these insects include cave crickets, camel crickets, spider crickets (sometimes shortene…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhaphidophoridae
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Speleotettix is a genus of cave/camel crickets in the subfamily Macropathinae established by Chopard in 1944. Three species have been described in this genus: Speleotettix tindalei Chopard found on th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speleotettix
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 9: “Richards was responsible for naming almost all cave cricket species in Australia and New Zealand.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms Aola Richards was a New Zealand entomologist specializing in the study of New Zealand and Australian cave crickets. Web search results further note that research was minimal since her retirement, implying her primary role in naming them.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aola Mary Richards (16 December 1927 – 2 November 2021) was a New Zealand entomologist specialising in the study of New Zealand and Australian cave crickets, or wētā (Rhaphidophoridae), and Australian…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aola_Richards
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata is a species of beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is commonly known as the 28-spotted potato ladybird or the Hadda beetle. It feeds on the foliage of potatoes …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henosepilachna_vigintioctopunc…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution. Common names for these insects include cave crickets, camel crickets, spider crickets (sometimes shortene…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhaphidophoridae
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 10: “When the pioneering entomologist Aola Richards retired in the 1980s, it was thought Australia only harboured 23 cave cricket species”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of general information about the 1980s and Australia, but does not contain the specific figure of '23 cave cricket species' believed to exist at the time of Aola Richards' retirement.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a land area of 7,688,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia has been represented at the Eurovision Song Contest eleven times since first taking part in 2015. The Australian participating broadcaster in the contest is the Special Broadcasting Service …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_in_the_Eurovision_So…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Islam is the second-largest religion in Australia. According to the 2021 Census in Australia, the combined number of people who self-identified as Australian Muslims, from all forms of Islam, constitu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Australia
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 11: “Australian caves are home to many such species, ranging from blind fishes, to blind eels, and even blind wasps.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the existence of blind cave eels and blind cave gudgeons in Australia. While 'blind wasps' are not explicitly detailed in the snippets, the presence of blind fish and eels is corroborated by the 'Australia state of the environment 2021' and other search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nov 13, 2023 ... Moore* (@museum. wa.gov.au) introduce us to new morphological data and live photographs of this rare subterranean blind cave eel. Ophisternon ...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheEntomologyGroup/posts/101…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 4, 2026 ... So how do eels manage to reach the Sargasso Sea? It wasn't until eels were found inside the stomachs of deep-sea fish that scientists realized: ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUV1DwjjUGN/?hl=en
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The 2015–20 Threatened Species Strategy did not contain any identified priority fishes ... The blind cave gudgeon (Milyeringa veritas) and the blind cave eel ...
https://soe.dcceew.gov.au/biodiversity/environment/flora-and…
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Claim 12: “But in our recent research, we found three new species”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results (Miami Herald and Austral Entomology) confirm that researchers identified three new species of cave crickets in Australia.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nov 7, 2024 · Researchers caught the new species of cave crickets by hand during a survey of the cave in May, according to a study published Oct. 28 in the peer-reviewed ...
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article2…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 16, 2026 · Researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) described three new species of cricket discovered in Siargao Island in ...
https://www.facebook.com/ThePappasPost/posts/scientists-disc…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 9, 2025 · cave cricket genus Speleotettix, describing three new species and clarifying the genus's taxonomy and conservation priorities. Arnob ...
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/australian-entomological-soci…
help
Claim 13: “The Gundungurra people are the Traditional Custodians of the Jenolan Caves.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm the Traditional Custodianship of the Jenolan Caves by the Gundungurra people.
check_circle
Claim 14: “One was named to honour Richards, and another uses Gundungurra language in a first for Western scientific naming.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources (Ever seen a cave cricket? and Pittwater Online News) explicitly state that one species was named to honor Richards and another uses the Gundungurra language.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 2, 2026 · One was named to honour Richards, and another uses Gundungurra language in a first for Western scientific naming. A close-up shot of a cave ...
https://theconversation.com/ever-seen-a-cave-cricket-austral…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 9, 2026 · One was named to honour Richards, and another uses Gundungurra language in a first for Western scientific naming. A close-up shot of a cave ...
https://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/Environment-News-June-20…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Titles owned by Newton Public Library. This document is primarily intended for consumption by computers. The catalog interface designed for people can be found ...
https://newtonplks.biblionix.com/catalog/titles/
help
Claim 15: “Speleotettix aolae and S. palaga were collected from caves and mineshafts in Victoria, while S. binoomea is from the World Heritage-listed Jenolan Caves and surrounding cave systems in NSW.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm the specific locations (Victoria and Jenolan Caves) for these three species.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.