Abstract
Despite the rapid expansion of the built environment, we know little about the biology of species living in human-constructed habitats. Camel crickets (Rhaphidophoridae) are commonly observed in North American houses and include a range of native taxa as well as the Asian Diestrammena asynamora (Adelung), a species occasionally reported from houses though considered to be established only in greenhouses. We launched a continental-scale citizen science campaign to better understand the relative distributions and frequency of native and nonnative camel crickets in human homes across North America. Participants contributed survey data about the presence or absence of camel crickets in homes, as well as photographs and specimens of camel crickets allowing us to identify the major genera and/or species in and around houses. Together, these data offer insight into the geographical distribution of camel crickets as a presence in homes, as well as the relative frequency and distribution of native and nonnative camel crickets encountered in houses. In so doing, we show that the exotic Diestrammena asynamora not only has become a common presence in eastern houses, but is found in these environments far more frequently than native camel crickets. Supplemental pitfall trapping along transects in 10 urban yards in Raleigh, NC revealed that D. asynamora can be extremely abundant locally around some homes, with as many as 52 individuals collected from pitfalls in a single yard over two days of sampling. The number of D. asynamora individuals present in a trap was negatively correlated with the trap’s distance from a house, suggesting that these insects may be preferentially associated with houses but also are present outside. In addition, we report the establishment in the northeastern United States of a second exotic species, putatively Diestrammena japanica Blatchley, which was previously undocumented in the literature. Our results offer new insight into the relative frequency and distribution of camel crickets living in human homes, and emphasize the importance of the built environment as habitat for two little-known invading species of Orthoptera.
Highlights
In the United States, 90% of the human population is predicted to live in urban environments by 2050 (United Nations, 2012)
The proportion of detections of camel crickets in homes was significantly higher in the eastern United States (28% of reports were positive from states east of Colorado) compared to western states (7% positive reports; two-tailed P < 0.0001 from Fisher’s exact test)
Camel crickets have long been a common presence in our homes, little is known about the identity, occupancy and geography of these animals in homes
Summary
In the United States, 90% of the human population is predicted to live in urban environments by 2050 (United Nations, 2012). Camel crickets (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae) are among the largest of the many insects that live in modern-day houses, and have an especially longstanding history of contact with humans in our homes. These insects have long been noted in basements and cellars; with one remarkable example of cave art from Paleolithic France depicting the cave-dwelling camel cricket Trogophilus sp. The relationship between camel crickets and humans is clearly ancient; the biology of these insects as residents of our homes is known primarily from a smattering of specimen records in museums rather than from formal study
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