Gryllotalpa major

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Gryllotalpa major
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Gryllotalpidae
Genus: Gryllotalpa
Species:
G. major
Binomial name
Gryllotalpa major
Saussure, 1874
Synonyms

Neocurtilla major (Saussure, 1874)

Gryllotalpa major,also known as the prairie mole cricket, is endemic to the United States and is the largest cricket in North America. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland and it belongs to the family Gryllotalpidae. It is threatened by habitat loss, and is currently only found in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Arkansas. Males of this species produce sounds by rubbing their fore wings together. They sing from special burrows they construct in the prairie soil to attract females for mating, and they can be heard at distances up to 400 m from the burrow. Males aggregate their acoustic burrows in a lek arena and are very sensitive to vibrations carried through the ground. Males communicate with neighboring males through vibrational signals, and the songs they project to flying females are harmonic chirps, rather than the trills produced by most mole crickets.

Physiology

The species is the largest of the North American crickets, measuring up to 5 cm long, weighing up to 2.6 g, and is typically brown to reddish-brown in color. [1] [2] Like other mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae), G. major has a bullet-shaped, heavy pronotum and large robust fore limbs used for digging complex burrows. [1] Like other Orthoptera males, they have modified fore wings with a stridulatory apparatus which they use in conjunction with acoustic burrows to perform an acoustic sexual advertisement call to attract females during their brief mating season beginning in late spring. [1] [2] [3]

Females of G. major have similar stridulatory files as males, though smaller and weaker, and they are in fact capable of producing sound, though it seems the sound serves no function in other species sound production by females is linked to aggression and defense. [4] In a study on the hearing sensitivity of G. major, researchers found that they have hearing sensitivities from 2 kHz to an ultrasonic range at 25 kHz. [5]

Distribution and habitat

G. major is native to tall grass prairie ecosystems and occupies a small range in the southcentral United States, found only in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. [6] Prescribed burning is common throughout the prairie habitat of G. major and usually occurs during March and April, at the beginning of the reproductive season of the cricket. Howard and Hill [1] looked to the effect of these burning on the distribution of G. major and found that recent burned land can be beneficial to the cricket and provide some advantages to mating behaviours. G. major has been observed calling on recently burned sites within 24 hours of the site being burned. The warmer soil as a result of the fire is thought to have metabolic advantages for the cricket, allowing them to increase their chirp frequency, and overall the burned land allows their song to travel more efficiently, increasing to attraction of females to the area. [6] The belowground grass biomass on which the cricket feeds remains intact after a burn, and no evidence of direct mortality of the cricket has been documented. [6]

The grass height of the prairie land has a marked effect on the male burrows in a lek. They found that as grass height increased, the spacing between each burrow also increased, as well as an increase in the angle of opening to the burrow. [7] This behavior may have evolved as response to the dynamic disturbances of tallgrass prairie ecosystems. [7]

Mating behaviour

The males of G. major build an acoustic burrow in prairie soil arranged in a lek-like arena and perform an acoustic sexual advertisement call for the female of the species by singing from these calling chambers while the female flies overhead, making her choice. [2] The call males produce is a loud, long-range, airborne song consisting of a pattern of long chirps with a frequency of 2 kHz and up to five harmonics, and these songs can be heard up to 400 m away. [8] The female flies at a height of 1.5-5.0 m above the lek, assessing each individual male presumably based on the attractiveness of the male call and the position of the male within the lek arena. [3] Females can detect male signals from up to 76 m away and usually arrive within 20 minutes. Once the female selects an appropriate male, she drops down, landing 3–5 m from the chosen male's burrow and uses phonotaxis to find her way; once there, she enters the burrow, mates with the male, and goes on her way. [3] Though the female is expected to choose the male closer to the arena due to the decrease predation risk among the males, the female choice of males appears to be randomly spread across the lek with the more attractive males being located further from the center and farther from the nearest calling neighbor. [3] The preference from more isolated males could be a way of maximizing fitness, as these males are able to maintain costly display territory with increased predation risk. [3]

Research into the mating behaviour of G. major found they fit the three main criteria of a classical lek system. [2] Males serve no role in parental care, other than fertilizing female eggs, they die soon after mating season, and do not tend to the eggs or young in any way. [2] Males create lek-like arenas of evenly positioned burrows, and the females are free to fly over to make their choice without male influence, for example sequestering resources or forcing copulation upon the female. [2] So, G. major fits within a slightly modified definition of a lek system, modified only to adjust for an insect species and broaden the typical umbrella classification. [2]

While singing males of G. major produce vibrations which travel through the soil, influencing neighboring males which are able to distinguish these ground vibrations from other background vibrations. [8] These singing vibrations can travel up to 3 m in the soil depending on conditions, and the energy ranges from 30 to 300 Hz. [8] They also found that males do not alter their calls in response to the airborne calls of other males, but rather some do respond to the ground vibrations of others and may abandon and relocate their burrows to a more optimal position. [8] The call of G. major is unique among crickets as they use a chirp rather than a trill to attract females. This chirp was analyzed and found that certain aspects of the chirp can be correlated to the morphology of the individual cricket. [1] Overall, longer males produced a lower-frequency call that contained more syllables per chirp, though these males did not necessarily produce a louder call. [1]

Within the lekking arena, males of G. major are in close proximity to each other and are thought to exhibit some influence on neighboring males. [9] While males do sound louder on nights when more males are calling, individual males did not increase their maximum call volume with increased competition from other males, nor did they increase their volume due to the availability of female. No correlation was found in volume and the distance to an individual males nearest neighbor, nor a correlation with the density of the population. [9] Males had a strong correlation between the temperature of the soil and their chirp rate due to an increase in metabolic energy, and also a correlation was found between the number of harmonics produced by a male and the distance to that male's closest neighbor. [9] Individual calling males are influenced more by their nearest one or two closest neighbors than by the group as a whole. [9]

Phylogeny

A study into the phylogenetic relationship of Gryllotalpidae cricket [10] grouped G. major in a group with Gryllotalpa devia , Gryllotalpa pilosopes , and Gryllotalpa inermis due to the dorsal hind tibiae lacking subapical spurs. [10]

Species status

In the late 1980s, G. major was recommended to be placed under protected status as a threatened species, but a lack of ecological information has stalled protection efforts. [8] The IUCN Red List calls the species data deficient, as more data on the habitat and effects of decreased tallgrass prairie land on the cricket's population are needed. [11] NatureServe has G. major listed as G3 – vulnerable due to scattered populations and habitat loss. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mole cricket</span> Members of the insect family Gryllotalpidae

Mole crickets are members of the insect family Gryllotalpidae, in the order Orthoptera. Mole crickets are cylindrical-bodied, fossorial insects about 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) long as adults, with small eyes and shovel-like fore limbs highly developed for burrowing. They are present in many parts of the world and where they have arrived in new regions, may become agricultural pests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallgrass Prairie Preserve</span> Largest tract of remaining tallgrass prairie in the world

The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, in Osage County, Oklahoma near Foraker, Oklahoma, is the largest protected tract of tallgrass prairie in the world. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, the preserve contains 39,650 acres (160 km2) owned by the Conservancy and another 6,000 acres (24 km2) leased in what was the original tallgrass region of the Great Plains that stretched from Texas to Manitoba.

<i>Teleogryllus oceanicus</i> Species of cricket

Teleogryllus oceanicus, commonly known as the Australian, Pacific or oceanic field cricket, is a cricket found across Oceania and in coastal Australia from Carnarvon in Western Australia and Rockhampton in north-east Queensland

<i>Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa, commonly known as the European mole cricket, is widespread in Europe and has been introduced to the eastern United States. Its scientific name is derived from the Latin 'gryllus' (cricket); and 'talpa' (mole), because of the fine dense fur which covers it and its subterranean habits, and because of the mole-like forelegs adapted for digging, a good example of convergent evolution.

<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 veletis</i> Species of cricket

Gryllus veletis, commonly known as the spring field cricket, is abundant throughout eastern North America. G. veletis is a solitary, aggressive, omnivorous, burrow-inhabiting species of cricket. This species is commonly confused with Gryllus pennsylvanicus, as they inhabit the same geographical area. However, the two species are easily distinguished through examination of life history, ovipositor and behavioural differences. Predators of G. veletis include American toads, wild turkeys, red-tailed hawks, wolf spiders and red-backed salamanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cricket (insect)</span> Small insects of the family Gryllidae

Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms, "crickets" were placed at the family level, but contemporary authorities including Otte now place them in the superfamily Grylloidea. The word has been used in combination to describe more distantly related taxa in the suborder Ensifera, such as king crickets and mole crickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seismic communication</span>

Seismic or vibrational communication is a process of conveying information through mechanical (seismic) vibrations of the substrate. The substrate may be the earth, a plant stem or leaf, the surface of a body of water, a spider's web, a honeycomb, or any of the myriad types of soil substrates. Seismic cues are generally conveyed by surface Rayleigh or bending waves generated through vibrations on the substrate, or acoustical waves that couple with the substrate. Vibrational communication is an ancient sensory modality and it is widespread in the animal kingdom where it has evolved several times independently. It has been reported in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, arachnids, crustaceans and nematode worms. Vibrations and other communication channels are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but can be used in multi-modal communication.

<i>Gryllotalpa orientalis</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Gryllotalpa orientalis is a species of mole cricket in the family Gryllotalpidae, commonly known as the oriental mole cricket. It is found in much of Asia and Australasia. At one time, this species was misidentified as G. africana and thought to have a widespread distribution in both Africa and Asia, but in the 1980s, G. orientalis was recognised as a separate species. It is a polyphagous pest, damaging crops by gnawing their roots.

<i>Scapteriscus</i> Genus of cricket-like animals

Scapteriscus is a genus of insects in the family Gryllotalpidae, the mole crickets. Members of the genus are called two-clawed mole crickets. They are native to South America. Some species have arrived in other regions, including parts of North America, where some have become invasive and have become established as pests.

<i>Gryllotalpa africana</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Gryllotalpa africana, also known as the African mole cricket, is a relatively small mole cricket species, native to Africa, but local populations exist in Asia, and southern Europe.

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.

<i>Teleogryllus commodus</i> Species of cricket

Teleogryllus commodus, commonly known as the black field cricket, is a cricket species native to Australia. They are significant pests to most plants in Australia and New Zealand. T. commodus belongs to the order Orthoptera, the family Gryllidae which are characterized by wings that are folded on the side of the body, chewing mouthparts and long, thin antennae. T. commodus has the ability to learn via the recognition of rewards. They are also capable of odour recognition and thus can be taught via odour pairing.

<i>Neoscapteriscus vicinus</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Neoscapteriscus vicinus, commonly known as the tawny mole cricket, is a species of insect in the mole cricket family, Gryllotalpidae. This species is native to South America and also occurs in the Southern United States, where it arrived as a contaminant of ship's ballast around 1900. Colombian insect taxonomist Oscar Cadena-Castañeda studied specimens of the genus which had been called Scapteriscus, and decided that it included two groups; a smaller group and a larger group that he named Neoscapteriscus in 2015. North American mole cricket taxonomists agreed with his decision and altered Orthoptera Species File Online accordingly.

Neoscapteriscus abbreviatus, the short-winged mole cricket, is a species of insect in the mole cricket family, Gryllotalpidae. It is native to South America but has been introduced inadvertently into Florida, in the United States. Unlike other related species, it is unable to fly, nor do the males emit songs in order to attract females.

<i>Gryllotalpa vineae</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Gryllotalpa vineae is a species of mole cricket in the family Gryllotalpidae. It is found in southwestern Europe and was first described by the entomologists H. C. Bennet-Clark and Blaine H. Goodposts in 1970 after having realised that it must be a different species from the European mole cricket because of its distinctive song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand mole cricket</span> Species of cricket-like animal

The New Zealand mole cricket is a wingless member of the mole cricket family Gryllotalpidae. Endemic to New Zealand, it lives underground and is rarely seen. It is now restricted to parts of the southern North Island.

<i>Gryllotalpa unispina</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Gryllotalpa unispina is a species of mole cricket, in the G. gryllotalpa species group, found in Eastern Europe through to Manchuria. No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life.

<i>Gryllotalpa septemdecimchromosomica</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Gryllotalpa septemdecimchromosomica is a species of mole cricket, in the G. gryllotalpa species group, found in Spain and France: where it may be known as le courtillière Provençale. No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life.

Hirtodrosophila mycetophaga is a fairly large drosophilid fly, with a mean length of 4.0–4.5 mm. It has thus far only been found in Australia. It mates on bracket fungi, preferentially those with a lighter-colored surface in order to enhance mating displays. In addition to these physical displays, flies emit specific sounds in order to attract and ultimately copulate with females.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Howard, Daniel; Hill, Peggy (2006). "Morphology and calling song characteristics in Gryllotalpa major Saussure (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae)". Journal of Orthoptera Research. 15: 53–57. doi: 10.1665/1082-6467(2006)15[53:macsci]2.0.co;2 .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hill, Peggy (1999). "Lekking in Gryllotalpa major, the Prairie Mole Cricket (Insecta: Gryllotalpidae)". Ethology. 105 (6): 531–545. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0310.1999.00417.x.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Howard, Daniel; Lee, Norman; Hall, Carrie; Mason, Andrew (2010). "Are Centrally Displaying Males Always the Centre of Female Attention? Acoustic Display Position and Female Choice in a Lek Mating Subterranean Insect". Ethology. 117 (3): 199–207. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01858.x.
  4. ↑ Nickle, D; Carlysle, T (1974). "Morphology and Function of Female Sound producing Structures in Ensiferan Orthoptera with Special Emphasis on the Phaneropterinae". International Journal of Insect Morphology & Embryology. 4 (2): 159–175. doi:10.1016/0020-7322(75)90014-8.
  5. ↑ Howard, Daniel; Mason, Andrew; Hill, Peggy (2008). "Hearing and Spatial Behaviour in Gryllotalpa major Saussure (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpisae)". The Journal of Experimental Biology. 211 (22): 3613–3618. doi: 10.1242/jeb.023143 . PMID   18978226.
  6. 1 2 3 Howard, Daniel; Hill, Peggy (2007). "The Effect of Fire on Spatial Distributions of Male Mating Aggregations in Gryllotalpa Major Saussure (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) at The Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma: Evidence of a Fire-dependent Species". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 80: 51–64. doi:10.2317/0022-8567(2007)80[51:teofos]2.0.co;2.
  7. 1 2 Howard, Daniel; Hill, Peggy (2009). "Grassland Botanical Structure Influences Lek Spatial Organization in Gryllotalpa major S. (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae)". The American Midland Naturalist. 161 (2): 206–218. doi:10.1674/0003-0031-161.2.206.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Hill, Peggy; Shadley, John (2001). "Talking Back: Sending Soil Vibration Signals to Lekking Prairie Mole Cricket Males". American Zoologist. 41 (5): 1200–1214. doi:10.1668/0003-1569(2001)041[1200:tbssvs]2.0.co;2.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Hill, Peggy (1998). "Environmental and Social Influences on Calling Effort in the Prairie Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa major)". Behavioral Ecology. 9: 101–108. doi: 10.1093/beheco/9.1.101 .
  10. 1 2 Hill, Peggy; Hoffart, Cara; Buchheim, Mark (2002). "Tracing Phylogenetic Relationships in the Family Gryllotalpidae". Journal of Orthoptera Research. 15: 53–57.
  11. ↑ 2000. Gryllotalpa major. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved 28 November 2014.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ NatureServe 2015. Gryllotalpa major. NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Accessed 21 February 2016.
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