Occurrence of the greenhouse camel cricket Tachycines asynamorus Adelung, 1902 (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae) in Poland

Abstract

The greenhouse camel cricket Tachycines asynamorus is an insect of the order Orthoptera, native to Eastern Asia. It was introduced to Europe and North America at the end of the 19th century, probably along with exotic plants imported to botanical gardens, orangeries, and horticultural farms. In the climatic conditions of Central and Northern Europe this insect is exclusively synanthropic, occurring mainly in greenhouses, hothouses, and other permanently heated rooms with high humidity. In Poland, the species has been reported in 24 sites since the beginning of the 20th century. No specific information confirming its occurrence in the country after 1984 has been found in the literature. The search for the greenhouse camel cricket conducted by the authors, along with responses to surveys sent out to scientific institutions and naturalists requesting reports of sightings of the species, enabled us to establish that in 1991– 2022 T. asynamorus occurred in Poland at 12 sites, mostly in greenhouses in botanical gardens and in aquaria and terraria buildings in zoological gardens. The presence of the species was confirmed at only one site known from the literature.