Mole Crickets: Ecology, Behavior, and Dispersal Flight (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae: Scapteriscus ) 23

Abstract

The southern mole cricket, Scapteriscus acletus Rehn and Hebard, and the changa, S. vicinus Scudder, are pests of turf and agricultural crops in the southeastern United States. Both species fly during spring and fall in Gainesville, Fla. The numbers of flying acletus and vicinus were monitored each night during those seasons (1972–73). Monitoring was done by (1) attracting the flying adults of these 2 species to loudspeakers broadcasting tape recordings of natural and synthetic mole cricket calling songs and (2) collecting flying adults to UV and fluorescent lights. About 28 times more mole crickets were collected during the spring flight than during the fall flight. Spring collections were 55% acletus ( n = 5675) and fall collections were 16% acletus ( n = 199). During 1972 and 1973, females comprised 83% of those collected of both acletus ( n = 9161) and vicinus ( n = 7521). The percent of females that had mated increased as flight season progressed. The flight started soon after sunset and continued for an hour. Of 1844 adult acletus marked and released 35 were recaptured on subsequent nights, proving that at least 2% of adults fly more than once. Three adults were recaptured twice. Recaptures were made up to 6.5 wk and at distances as great as 0.7 km. S. acletus flight speed was estimated at 7–11 km/h. Flights of acletus and vicinus did not occur below 18°C (air and soil) temperature.