Characterization of Prairie Mole Cricket Chorusing Sites in Oklahoma

Abstract

-Prairie mole crickets Gryllotalpa major were known historically from the southern tallgrass prairie region of North America, but have declined substantially and are now restricted to prairie fragments in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Surveys of calling males in Oklahoma from 1987 through 1991 located sixty distinct chorusing sites, 70% of which were located within the historical tallgrass prairie biome. Chorusing sites were characterized by higher silt content and higher plant diversity than sites where crickets did not call. Adequate silt content of the soil may be critical to proper burrow construction. Higher plant species diversity on chorusing sites is probably the result of past land management practices such as mowing for hay. Although presently secure in Oklahoma, prairie mole cricket populations may be threatened in the future by land use changes and continued habitat fragmentation.