Scientists from CENPAT have discovered a **new species of cricket** in Patagonia. It is the *Miogryllus Patagonicus*, an insect measuring 1.5 centimeters in length, with an ochre color and brown spots.
**Lucas Castelli**, a doctoral fellow at the Patagonian Institute for the Study of Continental Ecosystems (**IPEEC-CONICET**), provided details about the insect found in the area.
## New species of cricket: the research process
According to Castelli, as reported by local media, he was focused on the orthopteran community in the northern arid Patagonia when he discovered the new species. They found it in **Península Valdés**, around **Puerto Madryn and in the town of 28 de Julio**. Furthermore, he named it *Miogryllus patagonicus*.
The research team also includes **Germán Cheli**, a researcher at IPEEC; **Yanina Mariottini**, from the Multidisciplinary Institute on Ecosystems and Sustainable Development (UNICEN – CIC); and **Óscar Cadena-Castañeda**, from the Francisco José de Caldas District University (Colombia).
## Description of the new species of cricket
“It is a **small cricket (1.5 cm) with an ochre color and some brown spots**. Its habitat is quite restricted. Within our arid region, it prefers sites with moisture accumulation, which is why we found it in the lower parts of ravines,” the researcher stated about the new species.
“We find it interesting that we mostly found it in undisturbed areas, **without serious damage from overgrazing**, and even in places where environmental restoration treatments had been implemented, precisely aiming to retain more moisture in the soil and reduce sediment flow to the Chubut River,” he added.
It is known that crickets are **omnivores** and feed on **dead plant material**, but not much more; so **our idea is to delve deeper into this aspect** and see what role they play in nature,” Castelli explained.
In another discovery, Castelli’s team recorded the presence of the **common cricket, Gryllus (Gryllus) argentinus**, in the province of **Chubut**, extending its distribution at least 800 km southward, as the previous southernmost record in Argentina was in **Bahía Blanca**.
The latter, which tolerates urbanization, was found both in the countryside and in the city, and although it is a native species with a wide distribution from southern Brazil, it was not well-documented in this area.
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