Tachycines asynamorus | |
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Immature specimen | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Orthoptera |
Suborder: | Ensifera |
Family: | Rhaphidophoridae |
Genus: | Tachycines |
Subgenus: | Tachycines |
Species: | T. asynamorus |
Binomial name | |
Tachycines asynamorus Adelung, 1902 | |
Synonyms | |
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Tachycines asynamorus is a cave cricket and the type species of the genus Tachycines (Rhaphidophoridae). In English-speaking countries it is known as the greenhouse camel cricket [1] or greenhouse stone cricket [2] for its propensity for living in greenhouses. [3] It was first described in 1902 by Russian entomologist Nicolai Adelung [4] on the basis of specimens caught in the palm houses of St. Petersburg. [5] Some authorities have placed this species in the genus Diestrammena , but it has now restored to its basonym. [3]
The warmth-loving, tropical species was introduced worldwide by humans and today often occurs synanthropically in the vicinity of humans, especially in greenhouses. The animals are crepuscular and nocturnal. They feed carnivorously on various small insects as well as on plant material such as fruits, seeds, seedlings or young leaves and flowers.
Tachycines asynamorus is a medium-sized, apterous camel cricket. Its body length ranges from 11.3–14.6 mm (0.4–0.6 in). It has very long antennae, palps, and cerci. The female has a long, gently upcurved ovipositor, 10.7–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) in length. [1]
Their coloration is gray to yellow-brown or even reddish-brown ground color, with the abdomen being patterned with dark brown spots and stripes. The pronotum has a dark brown edge, the legs are dark and lightly ringed, this pattern is particularly visible on the hind legs. The antennae, palps, legs and cerci are conspicuously long. At 70 to 80 millimeters long, the antennae are about four times the length of the body, the cerci reach about 10 millimeters in both males and females and are flexible, hairy all around, and evenly tapered to the tip. The palps of the lower jaw are up to 15 millimeters long. Greenhouse camel crickets have no auditory openings and no simple eyes (ocelli), but their simple eyes are fully developed. It is thought that their long legs are an adaptation to their nocturnal lifestyle and are used as additional tactile organs. The cerci are also used for touching, but the males cannot grasp with them and therefore do not use them for mating. The tarsi on the fore and middle legs are only slightly shorter than the femora. There are two long, movable spines on the tip of the thighs of the middle pair of legs, and another outwardly directed spine on the front legs. The hind legs have long, double spines on the rounded shinbones. [6] [7] [5]
The species can be confused with Kollar's cave cricket ( Troglophilus cavicola ), which occurs from south-eastern Switzerland via Italy (south to Lake Como) and southern Austria to Greece. [6] [7] The greenhouse camel cricket differs from Kollar's by its spination on the front and middle legs as well as by the evenly tapering ovipositor tube of the females directly after the thickened base. The ovipositor tube of Kollar's cave cricket is shorter and broader, especially the first third is clearly widened. [7]
It is native to Asia, including Korea, but has long been found especially in heated European greenhouses. [1] It prefers moist and warm habitats that offer sufficient hiding places. It has been introduced worldwide by humans. In Europe, the species has only been found synanthropically in the vicinity of humans since the end of the 19th century. [7] It has been recorded in the greenhouses of almost all botanical gardens in Europe as well as in zoos and nurseries, [5] but is no longer as common as in botanical gardens due to targeted control, especially in the latter. [6] The animals can also be found in warm cellars. In temperate latitudes, the species is only found outdoors during very hot summers. [5] Due to its synanthropic lifestyle, the species occurs in a continuous succession of generations throughout the year. [7]
People in the United States were asked to survey their homes for presence or absence of camel crickets such as those of this genus and return photographs and/or specimens to North Carolina State University for further research. [8] [9] [10] Researchers including Rob Dunn have found that introduced greenhouse camel crickets were reported much more commonly than the native North American camel crickets of the genus Ceuthophilus . [9]
The crickets are active at dusk and at night, avoid light and hide between boards and other objects, such as flower pots, during the day. They feed carnivorously on various small insects, such as aphids and dead insects, as well as on plant material such as fruit, seeds, seedlings or young leaves and flowers. They therefore cause damage in greenhouses, especially when they occur en masse. With their well-developed jumping muscles, greenhouse insects can jump up to 1.5 meters and 0.5 meters high. Even when males fight with each other, the jumping muscles are used to fend off rivals, which is particularly common when there are large populations in hiding places. [5]
Originating in the caves of eastern Asia, it is omnivorous, sometimes carnivorous, or a scavenger of dead insects and other organic material. [1]
As with all members of the cave cricket family, these animals are unable to produce any vocalizations. During courtship, males use noiseless swinging movements to attract females. When mating, the male positions himself under the female from the front, allowing her to climb over him. The male possesses glands on his back, which the female licks. The spermatophore is then attached to the end of the female's abdomen, and the two animals are connected solely by this. After mating, the male dismounts from the female, who remains seated and begins to consume the spermatophore. The spermatophore has a well-developed spermatophylaxis, which is the furthest protrusion and is consumed first over the next one to two hours. Meanwhile, the ampulla containing the spermatozoa is safely discharged into the sexual opening and is only consumed thereafter. [5]
The females lay their eggs individually, mainly in the soil of flower pots, drilling their ovipositor vertically into the soil to a depth of 7 to 12 millimeters. One to 90 eggs are laid each night, up to 900 in total. These are two millimetres long and one millimetre wide. After laying, the pierced hole is closed again with the ovipositor. The larvae hatch after three to four months, but as the development of the animals is not synchronized, all stages of development can be observed at the same time. The larvae take around seven months to develop into the imago. During this time, around 10 molts take place. To do this, the larvae attach themselves to the hind legs in order to shed the larval skin. This is eaten after the moult, which lasts 15 to 20 minutes. After a further one to five hours, the new chitinous skin of the animals is hardened and colored.
Due to its synanthropic lifestyle and common occurrence, the species is not considered endangered and is therefore not included in the Red Lists of endangered species in Europe.
The following two synonyms are currently recognized; [11]
Insects in the family Tettigoniidae are commonly called katydids or bush crickets. They have previously been known as "long-horned grasshoppers". More than 8,000 species are known. Part of the suborder Ensifera, the Tettigoniidae are the only extant (living) family in the superfamily Tettigonioidea.
Orthoptera is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and weta. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grasshoppers, locusts, and close relatives; and Ensifera – crickets and close relatives.
The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution. Common names for these insects include cave crickets, camel crickets, spider crickets, and sand treaders. Those occurring in New Zealand are typically referred to as jumping or cave wētā. Most are found in forest environments or within caves, animal burrows, cellars, under stones, or in wood or similar environments. All species are flightless and nocturnal, usually with long antennae and legs. More than 500 species of Rhaphidophoridae are described.
Ensifera is a suborder of insects that includes the various types of crickets and their allies including: true crickets, camel crickets, bush crickets or katydids, grigs, weta and Cooloola monsters. This and the suborder Caelifera make up the order Orthoptera. Ensifera is believed to be a more ancient group than Caelifera, with its origins in the Carboniferous period, the split having occurred at the end of the Permian period. Unlike the Caelifera, the Ensifera contain numerous members that are partially carnivorous, feeding on other insects, as well as plants.
Tasmanoplectron isolatum is a rare nocturnal species of cave cricket, and is the only species represented in the genus Tasmanoplectron, belonging to the family Rhaphidophoridae. In 1971, Aola M. Richards was first to describe this species in Tasmania, Australia, where its geographical distribution is restricted to. The genus is thought to have affinities with New Zealand fauna due to its marked differences from the other Australian Rhaphidophoridae.
Tettigonia viridissima, the great green bush-cricket, is a large species of bush-cricket belonging to the subfamily Tettigoniinae.
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.
Schizodactylus monstrosus or the maize cricket, is a species of large, robust cricket found in Asia, belonging to the family Schizodactylidae. It is found mainly in sandy habitats along rivers, and has large flattened tarsal extensions and wings that are curled at the tip, right above the cerci. They are nocturnal and show a high degree of variation in activity during the day and night. They hide in burrows that they dig on their own during the day.
Yersinella raymondii, common name Raymond's bush-cricket, is a species of "katydids crickets" belonging to the family Tettigoniidae subfamily Tettigoniinae. The scientific name Yersinella comes from the name of the entomologist who has described the species in 1860.
Diestrammena is a 'camel' or 'cave-cricket' genus in the family Rhaphidophoridae. Species in the genus are native to Asia, including Japan.
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.
Orchelimum gladiator is a species of katydid that has the common names gladiator meadow katydid and gladiator katydid.
Hemideina femorata, the Canterbury tree weta or in Māori, putangatanga, is a flightless nocturnal insect from the order Orthoptera and the genus Hemideina, it is endemic to Canterbury, New Zealand, on the South Island.
Myrmecophilus pergandei, the eastern ant cricket, is a species of ant cricket in the family Myrmecophilidae. It is found in North America. It is a wingless cricket that is an obligate kleptoparasite of ants living in their nests. They lack both wings and tympanal organs on the front tibia.
The Orthopteran subfamily Aemodogryllinae contains about sixteen genera of camel crickets. It was named after AemodogryllusAdelung, 1902 - which is now considered a subgenus of Diestrammena.
Tachycines is a genus of camel crickets in the subfamily Aemodogryllinae and tribe Aemodogryllini. Some authorities had placed the type species, T. asynamorus, in the genus Diestrammena, but recent papers returned this to the subgenus Tachycines (Tachycines), with a substantial number of new species recently described.
Hemiandrus maculifrons is a species of ground wētā endemic to New Zealand. They are nocturnal, carnivorous, and flightless orthopterans belonging to the family Anostostomatidae. Being a nocturnal species, individuals remain in tunnels in the ground during the day and emerge from their burrows after sunset to forage and hunt for small invertebrates. H. maculifrons is one of the smallest New Zealand weta species, averaging 15 mm in length and weighing 1–3 g. Unlike the tree weta and tusked weta, where sexual dimorphism is found in the form of male weaponry, ground weta only exhibit sexual size dimorphism: the females are larger than the males.
Pachyrhamma edwardsii is a species of wētā, in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand. This species is found in caves, or large cavities where there is high humidity and little plant or animal life.
Wētā is the common name for a group of about 100 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae endemic to New Zealand. They are giant flightless crickets, and some are among the heaviest insects in the world. Generally nocturnal, most small species are carnivores and scavengers while the larger species are herbivorous. Although some endemic birds likely prey on them, wētā are disproportionately preyed upon by introduced mammals, and some species are now critically endangered.
Talitropsis sedilloti is a species of flightless wētā, in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand. This species is common in forests throughout New Zealand and during the day can be found hiding in holes in tree branches.
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