Teleogryllus oceanicus
Encyclopedia
Teleogryllus oceanicus commonly known as the Australian, Pacific or oceanic field cricket is a cricket
that occurs across the Oceania and in coastal Australia from Carnarvon
in Western Australia and Rockhampton
in north-east Queensland. It may also be referred to as the black field cricket, a common name it shares with Teleogryllus commodus.
The species was introduced to Hawaii in 1877, where it is predated on by the parasitic fly Ormia ochracea
. Research has shown that the male cricket on Kauai
underwent a mutation
in 2003 that removed the file and scraper apparatus required for producing sound from the wing and rendered the males incapable of using song to attract female crickets. Within 20 generations 90% of the males on Kauai have "flatwings"; the mutation has reduced predation since the fly cannot locate the males. The males have also adapted their behaviour, exploiting males that can make sound to attract mates for them.
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
that occurs across the Oceania and in coastal Australia from Carnarvon
Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north...
in Western Australia and Rockhampton
Rockhampton
Rockhampton can refer to:* Rockhampton, Queensland is a city in Queensland, Australia* Rockhampton City, Queensland, a suburb of Rockhampton, Queensland* Electoral district of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia...
in north-east Queensland. It may also be referred to as the black field cricket, a common name it shares with Teleogryllus commodus.
The species was introduced to Hawaii in 1877, where it is predated on by the parasitic fly Ormia ochracea
Ormia ochracea
Ormia ochracea is a small yellow nocturnal fly, a parasitoid of crickets. It is notable because of its exceptionally acute directional hearing. The female is attracted by the song of the male cricket and deposits larvae on or around him, as was discovered in 1975 by the zoologist William H. Cade...
. Research has shown that the male cricket on Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
underwent a mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
in 2003 that removed the file and scraper apparatus required for producing sound from the wing and rendered the males incapable of using song to attract female crickets. Within 20 generations 90% of the males on Kauai have "flatwings"; the mutation has reduced predation since the fly cannot locate the males. The males have also adapted their behaviour, exploiting males that can make sound to attract mates for them.
External links
- Cook Islands Biodiversity site, images and sounds