Gryllus vernalis

Blatchley, 1920

Northern Wood Cricket

Gryllus vernalis, the northern wood cricket, is a of field cricket to deciduous woodlands of the midwestern United States. It is distinguished by its predominantly black , occasionally marked with red patches on the , and a notably wide pronotum. The species inhabits leaf litter and shows evidence of reproductive isolation mechanisms, particularly strong female discrimination against heterospecific mates in sympatric .

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Gryllus vernalis: //ˈɡrɪl.lus vɛrˈnaː.lɪs//

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Identification

Identified by its totally black with occasional red patches on the and a wide pronotum. The is slightly narrower than the pronotum. Nymphs are all black and appear in early spring as late-instar individuals.

Habitat

Deciduous woods of the midwestern United States, primarily in leaf litter.

Distribution

Midwestern United States; recorded from Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Seasonality

active in spring; late-instar nymphs observed in early spring.

Similar Taxa

  • Gryllus fultoniClosely related wood cricket with similar three-pulse chirp calling-song structure; occurs sympatrically with G. vernalis and subject to reproductive character displacement studies.

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