Overview
Mostly large, winged or wingless species with mandibles enlarged in some males. Fore coxa with a spine or tubercle. Fore tibia with auditory tympanum in all Australian species except
Onosandrus
from south-western W.A. Australian species have the dorsal surface of the fore tibia armed with one or more spines. Of six known genera, three are winged in both sexes, the others are apterous. All occur in the forests of the east coast except
Onosandrus
which shares species with southern Africa. Of the four subfamilies, two occur in Australia.
Henicinae
are represented by
Anabropsis
which also has representatives in the New World and south-east Asian tropics.
Australostoma
is the sole representatives of the
Deinacridinae
(king crickets).
Gryllotaurus
is unassigned to subfamily. The karyotype of only one species has been studied. In
Australostoma opacum
2n [male] = 22(XX). [Rentz and Weissman 1973; John and Rentz 1987.]