Cryptozoology is a field with a long, complex history, especially in terms of public perception. Despite what can be read online, it is a legitimate scientific field that consistently makes new discoveries and contributions to the greater scientific community. Cryptozoology studies a variety of creatures, including tiny insects, some of which are very likely to be discovered incredibly soon.
My personal favorite is Michigan's apparent populations of Saga pedo (referred to as Saga from here on out), a large Eurasian species of predatory katydid, one of the largest Orthoptera in the world - capable of growing up to 4.7 inches (12cm)!
This species is quite unique because it reproduces via parthenogenesis;
the mother lays eggs that hatch into identical females – there have not
yet been confirmed reports of males although there are unsubstantiated
reports and even a potential photograph. This trait is not seen in its closest relatives, and is generally quite rare among orthopterans.
Saga was first reported in North America on September 7th 1970 in Tompkins Township, Jackson County, Michigan. The area, at the time, was home to many involved in agriculture, so most people knew about the local flora and invertebrates. Young Ralph Pratt discovered the first, deceased, specimen as brought it to his teacher who, in turn, took it to John H. Newman, an entomologist at Michigan State University. The specimen then reached Irving J. Cantrall who devoted many hours towards searching for and fostering Saga specimens, and wrote a paper on the subject in 1972.
http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/cantrall72.pdf
It was later determined that Saga was likely introduced to Michigan by the local Losey family on accident. They ran a plow-making business that imported vehicles from many places, such as Italy. Saga eggs may have slipped through the cracks during the importing process, although the family vehemently denied this. Others have suggested that Saga in North America dates all the way back to 1835, when a different family, the Townleys, moved to the area and imported many plants from Europe. However they got there, Saga proved not to be a threat to the local ecology. They can't fly, and only eat small insects, including many pests in this instance - Saga were truly beneficial invasives.
Two more specimens were located around the time Cantrall became involved. By Cantrall’s own estimate, over 50 hours were spent over the course of a few days searching to no avail; no other individuals were found. Of course, right after those search efforts concluded, two more Saga were found elsewhere. Another search was organized by again, no katydids were found. The story became somewhat of a local sensation; many quickly became invested in finding more of these bugs. Specimens were hard to come by, and many didn’t seem terribly well acclimated to their environment. The living Saga specimens were isolated and cared for; fed grasshoppers and surrounded by the plants they were collected on. One female started to lay eggs before falling ill and dying. Attempting to hatch the eggs became the main focus of Cantrall.
None had hatched in over a year, something unusual (Saga eggs tend to only take 2-3 months to hatch), but potentially explained by the stress of being plucked from her environment. The interest in Saga dwindled, as no more individuals were reported. Cantrall believed it to have been wiped out in North America, at least based on a personal communication from 1977, only 5 years later
But yet, in 2008 something unprecedented happened – more Saga were found! A nymph had been collected. There is apparently a lot of footage of this nymph, named “Rocky One”, that exists, but as far as I know it's not publicly available. Rocky One was raised into adulthood, and a second individual was captured not long after by an unrelated party. This second individual was later released. Rocky One laid eggs (video also apparently exists of this event), but unfortunately became egg bound and died not long after.
All efforts were put into ensuring the survival of her eggs.
Two more specimens were found in the wild not long after; one was released while the other was named “Rocky Two”. Rocky Two met a similar fate to Rocky One. Whether the eggs hatched or not is unknown. As far as I can tell, there has been no update to this saga.
I’ve reached out to John Cunningham, but not heard back as of yet.
This
2008 continuation was not picked up by scientific literature and no
subsequent publications have been published on the topic. Some sources still report that Saga pedo is extinct in North America, including overviews of American katydids.
This, by definition, makes it an Enoch Taxa (this term has been casually used by myself and several others since it was proposed, published cryptozoological literature establishing this terminology is in the works).
Enoch Taxa are recognized taxa that have been sighted or collected in
small numbers within a short period of time and then never again. There is no real reason for suspected extinction, these animals are often simply listed as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN. Examples include Megadytes ducalis and the Cayenne Nightjar.
This, by extension, makes Saga pedo one of the very few reasonable cryptid insects, and certainly one that deserves a lot more attention.
I personally hope to find these animals again sometime in the near
future and ensure that they remain a part of Michigan’s insect fauna.
Although I feel I have done a serviceable job writing this summary, this thread pales in comparison to John Cunningham’s “The Saga Saga”, my primary reference. I highly suggest reading this for a more in-depth review of Saga pedo in North America.
http://www.nybta.org/adaptation/Saga.pdf Images
from –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saga_pedo#/media/File:Saga_2004_7_CB.jpg
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18-nQ0pNOMMAexAfT1uKeYSGVNfwkxlWX/
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