''Anurogryllus muticus'', also known as De Geer's short-tailed cricket or simply short-tailed cricket (a name common to many '' Anurogryllus'' species) is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

in the family

Gryllidae The family ''Gryllidae'' contains the subfamilies and genera which entomologists now term true crickets. Having long, whip-like antennae, they belong to the Orthopteran suborder Ensifera, which has been greatly reduced in the last 100 years (''e ...

. It is native to Bermuda, the West Indies, Central and South America. It is nocturnal and hides in a burrow by day.

Taxonomy

At one time, nearly all the short-tailed crickets in the United States were considered to belong to the species ''Anurogryllus muticus'', the range of which extended from Canada to much of South America. In a revision of the genus made by T. Walker in 1973, '' Anurogryllus arboreus'' was split off on the basis of the calling behavior of the male, and on certain morphological differences. The range of ''A. muticus'' is now considered to include Bermuda, the West Indies, Central and South America as far south as southern Brazil while that of ''A. arboreus'' covers much of the continental United States. There are two subspecies; ''A. muticus caraibeus'' (Saussure, 1874) is found in the West Indies, the type locality being Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and ''A. muticus muticus'' (De Geer, 1773) which is found in Central and South America, the type locality being Suriname.

Description

''A. muticus'' is a small, pale brown cricket with a very short ovipositor. The adults have wings, which is in contrast to ''A. arboreus'' which sheds its wings soon after maturing.

Behavior

''A. muticus'' is nocturnal, concealing itself in a burrow during the day. It forages at night and carries food into the burrow to side-chambers which it excavates. The entrance to the burrow is normally kept plugged except when its owner is outside. Its preferred food seems to be the clover '' Alysicarpus vaginalis'' and the burrow is often constructed close to this food source. This is particularly advantageous for females, which forage on this plant before egg-laying, transport time being minimised by its close proximity. Males of ''A. muticus'' call to attract a mate; the call is made during much of the night which is in contrast to ''A. arboreus'' which only calls for a period of two to three hours shortly after sunset. Much energy is expended on calling and although the cricket metabolises both

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or m ...

s and

lipid Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids includ ...

s when at rest, while calling it mostly metabolises the lipids which have been stored in the

testes A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testoste ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10413916 Gryllinae Insects described in 1773 Taxa named by Charles De Geer