Metanotal-gland

Guides

• Oecanthus nigricornis

  black-horned tree cricket, common tree cricket

  Oecanthus nigricornis, commonly known as the black-horned tree cricket, is a species of tree cricket in the subfamily Oecanthinae found across North America. Males produce a distinctive courtship song using modified forewings and offer nutritional glandular secretions from a metanotal gland as nuptial gifts during mating. The species has been documented as a host for the parasitoid fly Stylogaster neglecta, with juvenile parasitism rates varying considerably across its range.

  tree-cricketcourtship-feedingnuptial-giftparasitoid-hostacoustic-communicationOrthopteraGryllidaeOecanthinaeNorth-Americasexual-selectionStylogaster-neglectafemale-choiceopportunistic-feedingmetanotal-gland