''Gryllus integer'', commonly known as the western trilling cricket, is one of many species of field cricket (subfamily Gryllinae) 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 The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

, having been recorded from

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

.Hedrick, A. 1986. Female preferences for male calling bout duration in a field cricket. Behav Ecol Sociobiol, 19, 73-77.

Morphology

''Gryllus integer'' can be medium to large in size, ranging from 17.1- 24.0 mm, it is macropterous(large-winged), its head and pronotum are jet black and tegmina is light brown.Weissman, D. 1980. Field crickets (Gryllus and Acheta) of California and Baja California, Mexico (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae). American Entomological Society, 106, 327-356.

Habitat

Typical of many field crickets, ''G. integer'' can be found living in cracks or burrows in the ground in disturbed areas such as roads or by buildings, and around human habitation.

Song production

''Gryllus integer'' has a unique song known as a rapid thrill., which is produced by tegminal (forewing) stridulation.Loher, W. and Dambach, M. 1989. Reproductive behavior. I
Cricket Behavior and Neurobiology
(ed. Huber, F., Moore, T. E., and Loher, W.), pp. 43-82. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press., These displaying male crickets prefer to call from warmer sites and it has been found that their micro-habitat choice based on temperature can influence their mating calls. Male song varies in duration of uninterrupted trilling. Males use this call to attract sexually receptive females who tend to preferentially move toward males with longer calling bouts (periods of calling that contain no pause greater than 0.10 s in real time), although female mate preference can vary. These males tend to fight intensely and stridulate their wings more when trying to acquire females. Sexually mature males tend to be more aggressive and heavier than lighter males which have not yet produced a spermatophore. The calling song of ''G. integer'' attracts females and results in spacing between mates, but it also attracts the parasitoid female fly ''Euphasiopteryx ochracea.'' This parasitoid fly lays its larvae on the surface of the cricket and burrows into its body.

Variation

Male ''G. integer'' from Davis, California, do not trill but rather produce fast trains of chirps containing 2 or 3 syllables per chirp with a pause between chirps approximately 30ms long, but most commonly with 3. Females tend to respond more to 2 syllables then 3.

populations of ''G.integer'' call exclusively with 2 syllables per chirp. Californian ''G. integer'' are relatively intolerant of increased syllable numbers. Californian ''G. integer'' prefer particular chirp pauses (24-36 ms) but accepted somewhat longer ones (up to 70 ms).

Sperm competition

Sperm competition is the competition that occurs when females store sperm, of varying males, in their spermatheca and use this sperm to fertilize their eggs. This type of competition is prevalent when females mate more than once in which they store sperm in a viable condition and have sperm from previous matings present when they re-mate Field crickets (Gryllidae) show all of the prerequisites for sperm competition. Females mate repeatedly with different males, store the sperm in a spermatheca and sperm from previous matings is viable in the spermatheca when females re-mate. Males guard females after mating which also suggests sperm competition.

Predators

This species of cricket is popular for use as a food source for insectivorous animals like spiders, reptiles, rodents, bats and birds.Hedrick, A. 2013. Family effects on anti-predator behavior in the field cricket, ''Gryllus integer.'' J. Insect Behav, 26, 832-836 In addition, the tachinid fly ''

Ormia ochracea ''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 ...

'' is known to parasitize ''G. integer''. ''O. ochracea'' uses the mating call of ''G. integer'' to locate the host, then the female fly deposits larvae on the host.

Anti-predator response

In order to evade predators, adult ''G. integer'' engage in a behavior known as "freezing." This anti-predator behavior appears to have a genetic and/or maternal effect

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10509538

integer An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign (−1, −2, −3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language ...

Insects described in 1902 Taxa named by Samuel Hubbard Scudder