Living proof of change in species or evolution : An underwater breathing cricket

I just saw this on TV..

In Auyán-tepui, in Venezuela, they found a species of cricket that has evolved to breathe and live underwater. It is the only known place in the world, where this cricket exists. It is a close relative of the cave cricket, except that this one developed something similar to gills to be able to breathe underwater.

I've never heard of it, in fact I could not find one article on it. It must not be very known.

I thought this would make a perfect example for those people who do not believe in evolution or a drastic change in a species; the same people who may find it hard to believe that dolphin and whales evolved descended from mammals that used to walk on land.

It is hard to deny this particular change took place because this is very apparently a cricket. In fact, it has been identified to be a very close relative of a particular cave cricket.

Apart from the Nature show I just watched, the only thing I could find was this footage of the cricket walking under water:

Auyantepui underwater crickets

Everyone knows it was put there by the devil to lead people astray.!!!!!
Intresting info thanks for the post

a reply to: nOraKat

I think insects breathe differently from us.
insects.about.com...
Therefore. The gills claim doesn't make sense either.
In the videos. You can clearly see air bubbles around the cricket. That would suggest it had gone into the river from the land.
That's just a couple of points.
But, i'm certainly not a creationist.
It's just the problems i see here.
Great thread though.

a reply to: nOraKat

roaches and lobster are also closely related.

they are not the same

a reply to: nOraKat

I have never needed convincing about evolution especially life's adaption to its environment because without this trait we would never have survived.

What convinced me, apart from the logic of this is that when people have little food and an inhospitable environment, they shrink in stature and when conditions are right for them they thrive and grow. The Eskimo has adapted to the environment by having shorter arms and legs so the blood and body heat is kept more centralised. Obviously the environment has a huge effect on man so why not other species with whom we share dna?

So crickets evolved into dolphins and whales, hmmmmm
Like to see the missing links, 100 tons of jumping blubber

Oh, love the sound of whale crickets chirping

a reply to: blackcrowe
There are water bugs that carry bubbles of air from the surface to breathe underwater. They construct underwater 'bubble' nests.

As far as breathing underwater, mosquitos, dragon flies, and a host of other flying insects begin their lives underwater as larvae.

So do frogs as pollywogs.

a reply to: nOraKat

Any idea how long they've been there? And are they not still crickets?

a reply to: DOCHOLIDAZE1

Actually watching this thing walk around underwater reminded me of a lobster or shrimp.

That's why I get grossed out when people eat them - they look like sea-roaches!

a reply to: intrptr

I was just saying what i saw.
As all land life ultimately came from the water in the first place. It would already be encoded in the dna. So, the ability to reuse this info makes sense to me.
Not so much a leap forward. But, a step backwards first before moving forwards.

nice find i like him.

a reply to: nOraKat
Wow thats so cool, look at the little guy go underwater. Well you know evolution is tricky, supposedly we all evolved from the waters and water critters, so this species of cricket went from fish to land walker, and now back to water walker.

Besides who here knew that crickets do not have lungs and take oxygen in through there skin. In effect would not be that far fetched for a cricket to walk underwater, all it would have to do is find a way to filter oxygen through its skin from the water, or even from the bubbles around its skin in the water as it walks on by, but the better question would be...How long can these crickets remain underwater?

Anyways the only thing we can learn here is that it seems a pretty effective way to get around. And more importantly that having lungs is highly overrated.

a reply to: intrptr
I was wondering WTF is a pollywog and wondering how you got racism into this post, then i understood its tadpole

a reply to: imod02

Oh, yah, no racism. If you want a real evolutionary conundrum look at the Duck Billed Platypus. It has fur, lays eggs, has webbed feet, a ducks bill and is venomous.

originally posted by: blackcrowe
a reply to: nOraKat

I think insects breathe differently from us.
insects.about.com...
Therefore. The gills claim doesn't make sense either.
In the videos. You can clearly see air bubbles around the cricket. That would suggest it had gone into the river from the land.

Not necessarily.

If the cricket is getting oxygen from the water, then that could suggest it leaves hydrogen as a byproduct. I doubt the cricket lives in any depths/pressures to have hydrogen expelled in liquid form; so those could be some very flammable "air bubbles".

As for "the gills claim doesn't make sense either", your source mentions them specifically in relation to insects.

Many water-dwelling insects have tracheal gills, layered extensions of their bodies that enable them to take more oxygen from the water than they could otherwise. These gills are most often located on the abdomen, but in some insects they're found in odd and unexpected places.

a reply to: redmage

Flame thrower crickets. That's evolution for you.
thanks for the info.
My comment was made very soon after the post.
I was just pointing out the obvious.
I try to look at everything from all angles.
And. It is up until this point. A land living creature. Now. In water. The first question should be. Did it enter the water?
I would like to see more proof though.
It is interesting.

a reply to: blackcrowe

Yeah, it's good to look at things from all sides.

...flame thrower crickets! Now that would be one heck of an infestation. lol

Alas, if all checks out like the article suggests, then the bubbles would most likely be CO2. Not nearly as fun.

a reply to: redmage

a reply to: nOraKat

I've been doing some searching and I cannot find a single online article about this. Does anybody know what species this is or if any studies have been done? Is it a single cricket or an entire species? Do you happen to remember what show you saw this on? I'm interested but the lack of information out there regarding this is strange.

Creationism gives me violent fits, just to be clear.

While this is a very novel creature, there needs to be much more information given for me to follow along here. Like, can this cricket and the cave cricket referenced interbreed and create viable off spring? Can DNA analysis be done that provides an idea for when the 2 species split, or if there was a split with these 2 species at all.

Still, interesting creature. Glad to have met him.