Gryllus veletis

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Gryllus veletis
Gryllus veletis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Gryllidae
Genus: Gryllus
Species:
G. veletis
Binomial name
Gryllus veletis
Alexander & Bigelow, 1960

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 (fall field cricket), as they inhabit the same geographical area. However, the two species are easily distinguished through examination of life history, ovipositor and behavioural differences. [1] Predators of G. veletis include American toads, wild turkeys, red-tailed hawks, wolf spiders and red-backed salamanders. [2]

Contents

Identification

Adult body length measures approximately 22.0 mm (0.87 inches). [1] Males of this species are black with dark brown or black appendages. [1] Females are similar in colour and have a dark brown ovipositor, measuring approximately 14 mm (0.55 inches). [1] Female colouration differs from males as they have lighter, more reddish legs. [1]

All species of field crickets generally look similar, with minor distinctions in morphological characteristics (i.e. coloration, ovipositor length, etc.) aiding in species identification. However, the male cricket's song play an important role in species identification. For an individual cricket, the species specific song helps distinguish mates and conspecifics from other species of crickets that might reside in the area. [3] A recording of the spring field cricket's song can be heard here. [4]

Natural history

Distribution

Gryllus veletis is abundant throughout eastern North America. [1] It ranges from southern Canada to northern Georgia, and as far west as Washington and Oregon [1] G. veletis occurs in the same areas as G. pennsylvanicus but the spring field cricket does not reach as far north as Nova Scotia, Canada. [1] G. veletis can be found in disturbed habitats such as old fields, and weedy roadsides. [5]

Life cycle and mating behaviour

Spring field crickets are sexually mature from late May to early August. [6] Males of the species attract sexually receptive females by acoustic signals, known as stridulation. [7] This process occurs by rubbing two rigid veins on the wings against one another. One vein is a scraper (smooth surface), the other a file (rough surface). The wings are held at a 45 degree angle above the thorax to amplify the sound. [8] Calling tends to peak at sunrise [9] and lasts between 1.3 and 1.8 hours per night. [6] However, if nighttime temperatures drop below 10 °C (50 °F), calling will switch to the daytime. [9] At 29 °C (85 °F), the cricket will call at 120–370 chirps per minute, in a series of 3 to 5-pulse chirps. [1] When a female is within the vicinity of a male’s territory, a quieter song (known as a courtship song) is used to reduce the risk of predation and attraction of male competitors. [7] Both males and females have directional hearing. Tympanums on the front legs pick up the vibrations created by the chirps. Depending on the strength, and on which leg the vibration is received, the location of the caller can be determined. [10]

Once mating occurs, females use their ovipositor to lay eggs into a soil substrate. [11] The eggs will mature between June and September. [12] The immature spring field cricket will continue to develop into a late-instar nymph and overwinter in this stage until emergence as adults in late May. [5] [12] G. veletis therefore undergoes one generation per year. [13]

Human impact

Spring field crickets are often grouped with the other species of field crickets when discussing their possible impacts on humans.

Field crickets, including G. veletis, are generally omnivorous scavengers. Their diet normally consists of plants, both fresh and decaying, other dead insects and in some cases predation of other field crickets or live insects may occur. An example of field cricket predation is seen in the consumption of fly pupae, which helps reduce the population of flies, often viewed as pests by humans. Consumption of plant matter helps ensure that fallen leaves and other material does not accumulate. Along with other scavengers (i.e. earthworm, beetles, etc.) decomposition of plants into fertile soil helps maintain a balanced ecosystem in forests and fields. [3]

Unlike house crickets (Acheta domesticus), field crickets are not able to adapt to a residential environment due to constraints in their life history traits and consequently, the insect will not live through the winter. Though field crickets are not normally found in home environments, they may invade a home to seek refuge from poor weather, attraction to light, or in search of foodstuffs (i.e. grains, seeds, etc.). Entrance can be gained through small cracks and crevices leading into a building. Once inside, damage to nylon, wool, plastic and leather fabrics may occur. The field cricket does not consume these materials, but "cuts out" a path through which it may pass. The human inhabitant may be aggravated by the field cricket's nocturnal chirping. [14]

Related Research Articles

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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.

<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">Gryllinae</span> Subfamily of crickets

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

<i>Ormia ochracea</i> Species of fly

Ormia ochracea is a small yellow nocturnal fly in the family Tachinidae. It is notable for its parasitism of crickets and its exceptionally acute directional hearing. The female is attracted to the song of the male cricket and deposits larvae on or around him, as was discovered in 1975 by the zoologist William H. Cade.

<i>Gryllus campestris</i> European species of insect

Gryllus campestris, the European field cricket or simply the field cricket in the British Isles, is the type species of crickets in its genus and tribe Gryllini. These flightless dark colored insects are comparatively large; the males range from 19 to 23 mm and the females from 17 to 22 mm.

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

Gryllus bimaculatus is a species of cricket in the subfamily Gryllinae. Most commonly known as the two-spotted cricket, it has also been called the "African" or "Mediterranean field cricket", although its recorded distribution also includes much of Asia, including China and Indochina through to Borneo. It can be discriminated from other Gryllus species by the two dot-like marks on the base of its wings.

<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

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.

<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. The scientific name is 'mole cricket', 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.

<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.

<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.

<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.

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

Gryllus bryanti is a species of cricket in the subfamily Gryllinae. G. bryanti lives on islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Eleuthera Island and Andros Island in the Bahamas.

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>Gryllus assimilis</i> Species of cricket native to the Western Hemisphere

Gryllus assimilis, commonly known as the Jamaican field cricket and sometimes referred to as the silent cricket among other names, is one of many cricket species known as a field cricket. Its natural habitats are the West Indies and parts of the southern United States, Mexico, and South America, though as a result of widespread breeding programs to supply feeder insects to the pet industry since 2010, it has become available commercially throughout North America and Europe.

Gryllus firmus, commonly known as the sand field cricket, is a species of cricket in the subfamily Gryllinae. It is found in the southeastern United States.

<i>Allonemobius fasciatus</i> Species of cricket

Allonemobius fasciatus, commonly known as the striped ground cricket, is an omnivorous species of cricket that belongs to the subfamily Nemobiinae. A. fasciatus is studied in depth in evolutionary biology because of the species's ability to hybridize with another Allonemobius species, A. socius.

<i>Acanthogryllus fortipes</i> Southern African cricket species

Acanthogryllus fortipes, or the brown cricket, is a species of cricket from southern Africa. It is mostly dark brown in colour and has a large head. It is a common species in short grass, including artificial habitats such as lawns and fields.

References

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  2. Milne, L. Milne, M. 1980. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders.New York: Alfred A. Knopf
  3. 1 2 Walker, TJ. 1999, Field Crickets - Gryllus spp., http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/crickets/gryllus.html#ref. Retrieved on 2009-01-15.
  4. "Spring Field Cricket (Gryllus veletis). Singing Insects of North America" . Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  5. 1 2 Zuk, M. (1987). "Seasonal and individual variation in gregarine parasite levels in field crickets Gryllus veletis and G. pennsylvanicus" (PDF). Ecological Entomology . 12 (3): 341–348. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2311.1987.tb01013.x.
  6. 1 2 French, B. W. & W. H. Cade (1988). "Sexual selection at varying population densities in male field crickets, Gryllus veletis and G. pennsylvanicus". Journal of Insect Behavior . 2: 105–121. doi:10.1007/BF01053621.
  7. 1 2 Burpee, D. M. & S. K. Sakaluk (1993). "The effect of pair formation on diel calling patterns of two cricket species, Gryllus veletis and Gryllodes sigillatus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)". Journal of Insect Behavior . 6 (4): 431–440. doi:10.1007/BF01049523.
  8. Bigelow, R.S. 1964. Song Differences in Closely Related Cricket Species and Their Significance. The Australian Journal of Science,4:27
  9. 1 2 French, B. W. & W. H. Cade (1987). "The timing of calling, movement, and mating in the field crickets Gryllus veletis, G. pennsylvanicus, and G. integer". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology . 21 (3): 157–162. doi:10.1007/BF00303205.
  10. Hill, K.G.; Boyan, G.S. 1976. Directional Hearing in Crickets. Nature ,262: 390- 391
  11. "Field cricket". Archived from the original on 2007-02-17. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  12. 1 2 "Life cycles of seven Gryllus species" . Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  13. Alexander, R. D. (1968). "Life cycle origins, speciation, and related phenomena in crickets". The Quarterly Review of Biology . 43 (1): 1–41. doi:10.1086/405628. PMID   4871583. S2CID   3045862.
  14. "Ebeling, W. Urban Entomology Chapter 12: Miscellaneous Pests. UC Riverside" . Retrieved 2009-02-20.