Gryllus locorojo, Weissman, David B., Gray, David A., Pham, Hanh Thi & Tijssen, Peter, 2012

Weissman, David B., Gray, David A., Pham, Hanh Thi & Tijssen, Peter, 2012, Billions and billions sold: Pet-feeder crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), commercial cricket farms, an epizootic densovirus, and government regulations make for a potential disaster, Zootaxa 3504, pp. 67-88 : 70

Gryllus assimilis

( Fig. 2 a, b)

Originally described from Jamaica in 1775 where it is one of three native Gryllus species on the island ( Weissman et al. 2012), this taxon goes by various common names: Jamaican field cricket, Jamaican brown cricket, and brown silent cricket by European breeders (e.g. Bugs-International of Germany). G. assimilis is also presently known from several Caribbean Islands ( Otte & Perez-Gelabert 2009), southern Texas, the east coast of Mexico south into Costa Rica, and possibly into South America ( Weissman et al. 2009). The species is introduced in south Florida ( Alexander & Walker 1962). Many commercial breeders in Europe claim to sell G. assimilis , but they are actually selling G. locorojo n. sp. (see below). In fact, we are unable to document any European dealer selling verified G. assimilis . In contrast, several USA cricket farms have USDA approved, verified (by DBW) G. assimilis cultures. These growers were originally supplied (pers. comm. to DBW by several growers, spring, 2012) “starter crickets” by Anthony Zera (University of Nebraska), who began his cultures (pers. comm. to DBW, November, 2011) with specimens supplied by Thomas Walker (University of Florida) in 1992 and collected in Gainesville, Florida (see Alexander & Walker 1962). A. Zera reports (pers. comm. to DBW, November, 2011) that he gets some six generations per year of G. assimilis when raised at 28–30°C. After some 120 generations, he notes no signs of inbreeding depression or changes in calling song. Its distinctive calling song consists of 6–10 pulses/chirp given at 1–2 chirps/second all with a pulse rate greater than 70 at 25°C. G. assimilis has a morphologically indistinguishable sister species, G. multipulsator Weissman , the latter known from southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, Baja California, Mexico, and along the Mexican mainland west coast ( Weissman et al. 2009).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Gryllus assimilis. a. Adult male from Mexico, Quintana Roo, near Cobá, more typical dark phase. Note dull pronotum (arrow) due to covering of fine hairs. b. Adult male from Mexico, Quintana Roo, Cancun, rarer light color phase, showing dull pronotum and head with indications of stripes. Field collected adults of both sexes are always long winged. Such color variation in natural specimens confirms the importance of male calling song for positive identification.