Elcanidae are an extinct family of Mesozoic and early Cenozoicorthopterans. Members of the family are distinguished by the presence of spurs on the distal part of the metatibia, unique among orthopterans, these have been suggested to have been used for controlling gliding,[1] swimming aids,[2] or for jumping on water.[3] The group combines characteristics from both major groups of orthopterans, with long antennae and nymphal morphology similar to Ensifera, but with wing venation and adult morphology more similar to Caelifera.[4] Elcanidae is part of Elcanoidea, which is thought to have diverged from living orthopterans by the beginning of the Permian, around 300 million years ago.[5] The family also includes Permelcanidae, known from the Early-Late Permian. The relationship of Elcanoidea to Ensifera and Caelifera is currently unresolved.[4] Elcanids are known from the Late Triassic to Paleocene of Eurasia, North and South America. Some members of the group exhibited aposematic coloration.[6] They are thought to have been herbivorous.[7]
^ abKočárek P (December 2020). "A diminutive elcanid from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, Ellca nevelka gen. et sp. nov., and the function of metatibial spurs in Elcanidae (Orthoptera)". Cretaceous Research. 116: 104574. Bibcode:2020CrRes.11604574K. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104574. S2CID225028485.
^ abTian H, Gu JJ, Huang F, Zhang H, Ren D (July 2019). "A new species of Elcaninae (Orthoptera, Elcanidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Liutiaogou, Inner Mongolia, NE China, and its morphological implications". Cretaceous Research. 99: 275–280. Bibcode:2019CrRes..99..275T. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.03.010. S2CID134966211.
^ abcSharov AG (1968). "Filogeniya ortopteroidnykh nasekomykh" [Phylogeny of orthopteroid insects]. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR (in Russian). 118: 1–216.
^Whalley PE (1985). "The systematics and palaeogeography of the Lower Jurassic insects of Dorset, England". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Geology. 39 (3): 107–189.
^Zherikhin VV (1985). "Yurskie pryamokrylye yuzhnoy Sibiri i zapadnoy Mongolii (Gryllida=Orthoptera)" [Jurassic Orthoptera of southern Siberia and western Mongolia (Grillida = Orthnoptera).]. Yurskie Nasekomye Sibiri I Mongolii (in Russian): 171–184.
^Handlirsch A (1906). "Die Fossilen Insekten und die Phylogenie der Rezenten Formen, parts I-IV." [The fossil insects and the phylogeny of the recent forms]. Ein Handbuch fur Palaontologen und Zoologen [A manual for palaontologists and zoologists] (in German). pp. 1–640.
^Handlirsch A (1939). "Neue Untersuchungen über die fossilen Insekten mit Ergänzungen und Nachträgen sowie Ausblicken auf phylogenetische, palaeogeographische und allgemein biologische Probleme. II Teil" [New investigations into the fossil insects with additions and supplements as well as perspectives on phylogenetic, palaeogeographical and general biological problems. II part.]. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien [Annals of the Natural History Museum in Vienna] (in German). 49: 1–240.
^Gorochov V (1990). "Orthopterans, Gryllida, in Pozdne-Mezozoyskie Nasekomye Vostochnogo Zabaykal'ya" [Orthnopterans, Grillida, in Late Mesozoic Insects of Eastern Transbaikalia]. Akademiya Nauk SSSR, Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta [USSR Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the Paleontological Institute] (in Russian). 239: 210–214.
^Zessin W (1988). "Neue Saltatoria (Insecta) aus dem Oberlias Mitteleuropas" [New Saltatoria (Insecta) from the Upper Liaison of Central Europe]. Freiberger Forschungshefte C [Freiberg Research Books C] (in German). 419: 107–121.
^Gorochov AV (1986). "Grasshoppers. Gryllida (=Orthoptera), in Nasekomye v rannemelovykh ekosistemakh zapadnoy Mongolii". The Joint Soviet-Mongolian Palaeontological Expedition. 28: 171–174.
^Giebel CG (1856). "Die Insecten und Spinnen der Vorwelt mit steter Berücksichtigung der lebenden Insekten und Spinnen". Die Fauna der Vorwelt. 2: 1–511.
^Fang Y, Wang B, Zhang H, Wang H, Jarzembowski EA, Zheng D, Zhang Q, Li S, Liu Q (January 2015). "New Cretaceous Elcanidae from China and Myanmar (Insecta, Orthoptera)". Cretaceous Research. 52: 323–328. Bibcode:2015CrRes..52..323F. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.05.004.
^Gorochov AB (1989). "Novye taksony prjamokrylyx semejstv Bintoniellidae, Xenopteridae, Permelcanidae, Elcanidae, i Vitimiidae (Orthoptera, Ensifera) iz mezozoja azii" [New taxa of the Orthopteran families Bintoniellidae, Xenopteridae, Permelcanidae, Elcanidae, and Vitimiidae (Orthoptera, Ensifera) from the Mesozoic Asia]. Vestnik Zoologii (in Russian). 1989 (4): 20–27.
^Peñalver E, Grimaldi DA (2010-01-01). "Latest occurrences of the Mesozoic family Elcanidae (Insecta: Orthoptera), in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar and Spain". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. N.S. 46 (1–2): 88–99. doi:10.1080/00379271.2010.10697641. ISSN0037-9271. S2CID84115545.
^Heads SW, Thomas MJ, Wang Y (December 2018). "A new genus and species of Elcanidae (Insecta: Orthoptera) from Cretaceous Burmese amber". Zootaxa. 4527 (4): 575–580. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4527.4.8. PMID30651491. S2CID58668337.
^Poinar G, Gorochov AV, Buckley R (2007). "Longioculus burmensis, n. gen., n. sp. (Orthoptera: Elcanidae) in Burmese amber". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 109: 649–655.