''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 Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

. This species is commonly confused with ''

Gryllus pennsylvanicus ''Gryllus pennsylvanicus'' is known as the fall field cricket. ''G. pennsylvanicus'' is common in southern Ontario, is widespread across much of North AmericaAlexander, R. D. 1968. Life cycle origins, speciation, and related phenomena in crickets ...

'' (fall field cricket), as they inhabit the same geographical area. However, the two species are easily distinguished through examination of life history,

ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typica ...

and

behaviour Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions of Individual, individuals, organisms, systems or Artificial intelligence, artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or or ...

al differences. Predators of ''G. veletis'' include

American toad The American toad (''Anaxyrus americanus'') is a common species of toad found throughout Canada and the eastern United States. It is divided into three subspecies: the eastern American toad (''A. a. americanus''), the dwarf American toad (''A. a ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (''M. g. dom ...

red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...

wolf spider Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (), named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and usually do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon ...

s and

red-backed salamander The red-backed salamander (''Plethodon cinereus'') is a small, hardy woodland salamander species in the Family (biology), family Plethodontidae. It is also known as the redback salamander, eastern red-backed salamander,Integrated Taxonomic Inform ...

Identification

Adult body length measures approximately 22.0 mm (0.87 inches). Males of this species are black with dark brown or black

appendage An appendage (or outgrowth) is an external body part or natural prolongation that protrudes from an organism's body such as an arm or a leg. Protrusions from single-celled bacteria and archaea are known as cell-surface appendages or surface app ...

s. Females are similar in colour and have a dark brown ovipositor, measuring approximately 14 mm (0.55 inches). Female colouration differs from males as they have lighter, more reddish legs. 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.Walker, TJ. 1999, ''Field Crickets - Gryllus spp.'', http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/crickets/gryllus.html#ref. Retrieved on 2009-01-15. A recording of the spring field cricket's song can be hear
here

Natural history

Distribution

''Gryllus veletis'' is abundant throughout eastern North America. It ranges from southern Canada to northern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and as far west as

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

''G. veletis'' occurs in the same areas as ''G. pennsylvanicus'' but the spring field cricket does not reach as far north as

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Canada. ''G. veletis'' can be found in disturbed habitats such as old fields, and weedy roadsides.

Life cycle and mating behaviour

Spring field crickets are sexually mature from late May to early August. Males of the species attract sexually receptive females by acoustic signals, known as

stridulation Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fish, snakes and spiders. The mech ...

. 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 The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

to amplify the sound. Calling tends to peak at sunrise and lasts between 1.3 and 1.8 hours per night. However, if nighttime temperatures drop below 10 °C (50 °F), calling will switch to the daytime. At 29 °C (85 °F), the cricket will call at 120–370 chirps per minute, in a series of 3 to 5-pulse chirps. When a female is within the vicinity of a male’s

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

, a quieter song (known as a courtship song) is used to reduce the risk of

predation Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

and attraction of male competitors. 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. Once mating occurs, females use their

to lay eggs into a soil substrate. The eggs will mature between June and September. The immature spring field cricket will continue to develop into a late-

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

and

overwinter Overwintering is the process by which some organisms pass through or wait out the winter season, or pass through that period of the year when "winter" conditions (cold or sub-zero temperatures, ice, snow, limited food supplies) make normal activ ...

in this stage until emergence as adults in late May. ''G. veletis'' therefore undergoes one generation per year.

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 A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

, which helps reduce the population of

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

, 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 An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they we ...

beetles Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

, etc.) decomposition of plants into fertile soil helps maintain a balanced ecosystem in forests and fields. 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.

References

External links

Find Bugs on the WebUniversity of Florida Entomology and NematologyNatureServe Explorer
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5612420 veletis Orthoptera of North America Insects described in 1960