Migratory and Local Flights in Mole Crickets, Scapteriscus spp. (Gryllotalpidae)1

Abstract

To study between-habitat and within-habitat flights of Scapteriscus acletus Rehn and Hebard and S. vicinus Scudder at Gainesville, Fla., we trapped those landing at synthesized conspecific calls at paired stations—one in an infested field and the other in a nearby wood (where mole crickets do not breed). Since mole crickets end their flights (long or short) at conspecific calls, the proportion of flying mole crickets that were migrating could be estimated as follows: number ending (migratory) flights in the wood divided by number ending (migratory and trivial) flights in the field. Since this ratio may be biased by unknown details of flight or phonotactic behavior, it should be treated as an index of migration rather than an accurate estimator. During 3 years at one pair of stations, the index for S. acletus ranged between 0.12 and 0.18, and for S. vicinus, between 0.39 and 0.46. During 1 year at two other pairs of stations, the index for S. acletus was 0.09 and 0.14, and for S. vicinus, 0.64 and 1.24. Males of S. vicinus were migratory in a significantly higher proportion of their flights than females. Paired trapping stations can be used to study trivial and migratory flights in other insects if traps catch individuals engaged in both types of flight.