Insect Picture of the Day

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Today’s picture comes from Brian Lyles, who took this photo in Mississippi. Meet Gryllus texensis, the Southwestern Field Cricket… or… wait. Maybe it’s Gryllus rubens, the Southeastern Field Cricket. Sometimes I get those mixed up.

And so do you. Today’s picture comes directly from the “only they can tell the difference” file.

Male crickets, like this one, of G. texensis and G. rubens can only be told apart by listening to them! According to the bug folks at the University of Florida, males of the two species cannot be told apart morphologically (by looking at their shape), but the pulse rates of their mating songs differ slightly between the two species. (G. texensis has shorter, more regular pulses).

The definition of a species is whether or not two groups of animals will remain genetically distinct in the wild. This does not necessarily mean that they are genetically incompatible; in fact G. texensis and G. rubens will “readily hybridize in the laboratory”. But in the wild, female Southwestern Field Crickets go for the pulsing techno beats while female Southeastern Field Crickets swoon for the jazz improv. Or, as the UFL guys put it, the two species “maintain their integrity in the field”.

I suppose that’s another way you could tell what kind of cricket he is: follow him around and see what kind of cricket he hooks up with. Just remember, if the girl cricket shows up with a friend, you have to show her a good time. You’re the wingman. You’ve got a job to do. Don’t break the cricket bro code.

Thanks, Brian!