Gryllinae

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Gryllinae
Snodgrass Gryllus assimilis.png
Common black cricket, Gryllus assimilis
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Gryllidae
Subfamily: Gryllinae
Saussure, 1893
Genera

Many, see text

Gryllinae, or field crickets, are a subfamily of insects in the order Orthoptera and the family Gryllidae.

Contents

They hatch in spring, and the young crickets (called nymphs) eat and grow rapidly. They shed their skin (molt) eight or more times before they become adults.

Field crickets eat a broad range of food: seeds, plants, or insects (dead or alive). They are known to feed on grasshopper eggs, pupae of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) and Diptera (flies). Occasionally they may rob spiders of their prey. Field crickets also eat grass.

In the British Isles "field cricket" refers specifically to Gryllus campestris , [1] but the common name may also be used for G. assimilis , G. bimaculatus , G. firmus , G. pennsylvanicus , G. rubens , and G. texensis , along with other members of various genera including Acheta , Gryllodes , Gryllus , and Teleogryllus . Acheta domesticus , the House cricket, and Gryllus bimaculatus are raised in captivity for use as pets.

Identification

Field crickets are normally 15–25 millimetres (0.6–1.0 in) in size, depending on the species, and can be black, red or brown in color. [2] While both males and females have very similar basic body plans, each has its own distinguishing feature(s).

Females can be identified by the presence of an ovipositor, a spike-like appendage, about 0.75 inches (19 mm) long, on the hind end of the abdomen between two cerci. This ovipositor allows the female to bury her fertilized eggs into the ground for protection and development. In some female field crickets, species can be distinguished by comparing the length of the ovipositor to the length of the body (e.g., G. rubens has a longer ovipositor than G. texensis [3] ).

Males are distinguished from females by the absence of an ovipositor. At the end of the abdomen there are simply two cerci. Unlike females, however, males are able to produce sounds or chirps. Thus, males can be identified through sound while females cannot.

Diagram A shows the male cricket with its wings raised for the purpose of chirping. Diagram B shows the female cricket, identified via the long protruding ovipositor at the end of the abdomen. D and E show the female using the ovipositor to deposit the fertilized eggs into the ground. Diagram C shows a topical and side view of nymphs with no protrusion at the hind of the abdomen.

Behaviour

In ambient temperatures between 80 °F (27 °C) and 90 °F (32 °C) sexually mature males will chirp, with the acoustical properties of their calling song providing an indicator of past and present health. Females evaluate these songs and move towards the ones that signal the male's good health. When the male senses the presence of a female he will produce a softer courting song. After mating, the female will search for a place to lay her eggs, preferably in warm, damp (though not wet) soil.

Field crickets prefer to live in outdoor environments with high humidity, warm temperatures, moist rich soil, and adequate food, but will migrate into human structures when environmental conditions outside become unfavorably cool. They often gain entry into buildings via open doors and windows as well as cracks in poorly fitted windows, foundations, or siding.

Unlike House crickets, which can adapt themselves to indoor conditions, populations of field crickets living in human structures and buildings and without access to warm moist soil for depositing their eggs tend to die out within a few months. Consequently, field crickets in temperate regions exhibit diapause.

The calling song of a field cricket

Tribes and selected genera

Six tribes have been identified in this subfamily: [4]

Cephalogryllini

Auth.: Otte & Alexander, 1983 - Australia

Eurygryllodini

Auth.: Gorochov, 1990 - Australia

Gryllini

Worldwide, selected genera include:

Modicogryllini

Velarifictorus micado front Velarifictorus micado front.jpg
Velarifictorus micado front

Worldwide except the Americas, selected genera include:

Sciobiini

Auth.: Randell, 1964 - NW Africa, Iberian peninsula

Turanogryllini

Auth.: Otte, 1987 - Africa, SE Europe, Middle East, southern Asia through to Korea and Indo-China

Genera incertae sedis

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gryllidae</span> Family of crickets

The family Gryllidae contains the subfamilies and genera which entomologists now term true crickets. Having long, whip-like antennae, they belong to the Orthopteran suborder Ensifera, which has been greatly reduced in the last 100 years : taxa such as the spider-crickets and allies, sword-tail crickets, wood or ground crickets and scaly crickets have been elevated to family level. The type genus is Gryllus and the first use of the family name "Gryllidae" was by Walker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree cricket</span> Subfamily of crickets

Tree crickets are insects of the order Orthoptera. These crickets are in the subfamily Oecanthinae of the family Gryllidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trigonidiinae</span> Subfamily of crickets

Trigonidiinae is a subfamily of insects in the order Orthoptera, suborder Ensifera, based on the type genus Trigonidium. They are often referred to as sword-tail crickets, winged bush crickets or trigs.

<i>Gryllus pennsylvanicus</i> Species of cricket

Gryllus pennsylvanicus is known as the fall field cricket. G. pennsylvanicus is common in southern Ontario, is widespread across much of North America and can be found even into parts of northern Mexico. It tends to be absent in most of the southwestern United States including southern California. Within its geographic range this field cricket will burrow into soil in fields and forest edges. Individuals inhabit grassy disturbed areas and are often found around areas of human habitation.

<i>Gryllus</i> Genus of crickets

Gryllus is a genus of field cricket. Members of the genus are typically 15–31 mm long and darkly coloured. The type species is Gryllus campestris L.: the European field cricket.

Platygryllus is a genus of crickets in the subfamily Gryllinae. Records of species distribution include Africa, southern Europe and in Asia: India, Java and the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phalangopsinae</span> Subfamily of crickets

Phalangopsinae, occasionally known as spider crickets, are a subfamily of crickets in the family Phalangopsidae. Members of Phalangopsinae are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. Most species in the subfamily are nocturnal and can be found in rocky areas, near fallen wood, and the understory of forests. Some species are gregarious, gathering in large numbers.

<i>Teleogryllus</i> Genus of crickets

Teleogryllus is a genus of crickets in the family Gryllidae. Species can be found in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands.

<i>Gryllus rubens</i> Species of cricket

Gryllus rubens, commonly known as the southeastern field cricket, is one of many cricket species known as a field cricket. It occurs throughout most of the Southeastern United States. Its northern range spans from southern Delaware to the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas, with a southern range stretching from Florida to eastern Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eneopterinae</span> Subfamily of crickets

The Eneopterinae are a subfamily of crickets, in the family Gryllidae, based on the type genus Eneoptera. It is one of several groups widely described as "true crickets". Of the more than 500 species that make up this subfamily, most occur in moist, tropical habitats. These insects are medium to large and brown or gray in color. They eat plant leaves, flowers, and fruits and can occasionally cause economic damage. Their eggs are deposited in pith, bark, or wood. Eneopterinae show a great diversity in stridulatory apparatus, signals emitted, and associated behaviour.

Gryllus integer, commonly known as the western trilling cricket, is one of many species of field cricket in the genus Gryllus. It is called the "triller" field cricket because its song is nearly continuous rather than broken into discrete chirps. G. integer can be found in parts of the Western United States, having been recorded from Oregon, California, Arizona and New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grylloidea</span> Superfamily of cricket-like animals

Grylloidea is the superfamily of insects, in the order Orthoptera, known as crickets. It includes the "true crickets", scaly crickets, wood crickets and other families, some only known from fossils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemobiinae</span> Subfamily of crickets

Nemobiinae is a subfamily of the newly constituted Trigonidiidae, one of the cricket families. The type genus is Nemobius, which includes the wood cricket, but members of this subfamily may also be known as ground crickets or "pygmy field crickets".

<i>Gymnogryllus</i> Genus of crickets

Gymnogryllus is a genus of crickets in family Gryllidae and tribe Gryllini. Species are recorded from Africa, Asia and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hapithinae</span> Subfamily of crickets

Hapithinae is a subfamily of insects in the cricket family Gryllidae. It is one of several groups referred to in American English as "bush crickets", although this term can be confused with the Tettigoniidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Podoscirtinae</span> Subfamily of crickets

Podoscirtinae is a subfamily of crickets in the family Gryllidae.

The Landrevinae are a subfamily of crickets, in the family Gryllidae, based on the type genus Landreva. They are terrestrial, omnivorous and may be known as "bark crickets"; genera are distributed in: Central and South America, Africa, tropical Asia, Korea, Japan, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gryllini</span> Tribe of crickets

Gryllini is a tribe of crickets and typical of the family Gryllidae. Species are terrestrial, carnivorous or omnivorous and can be found in all continenents except Antarctica.

Turanogryllus is a genus of crickets in the family Gryllidae and tribe Turanogryllini. Species can be found in Africa, Greece in Europe and throughout Asia.

<i>Modicogryllus</i> Genus of crickets

Modicogryllus is the type genus of crickets in the tribe Modicogryllini. Species have been recorded from: Europe, Africa, the middle East, temperate and tropical Asia through to Australia and western Pacific islands.

References

  1. Ragge DR (1965). Grasshoppers, Crickets & Cockroaches of the British Isles. F Warne & Co, London. p. 299.
  2. "Field Cricket". InsectIdentification.org. 2005. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  3. Gray, D.A.,Walker, T.J.,Conley, B.E., Cade, W.H. 2001. "A Morphological Means of Distinguishing Females of the Cryptic Field Cricket Species, Gryllus Rubens and G. Texensis (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)". Florida Entomologist, 84:314-315
  4. "Subfamily Gryllinae Laicharting, 1781". Orthoptera Species File. Retrieved 11 June 2015.