Environmental Entomology (2004) 33, 1431-1435

Johan De Graaf, S. Schoeman and Rick L. Brandenburg (2004)
Flight patterns of Gryllotalpa africana (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) in South Africa
Environmental Entomology 33 (5), 1431-1435
Abstract: Flights of univoltine mole crickets are usually female biased and peak during spring and autumn. A male Gryllotalpa africana Palisot de Beauvois song recording was broadcast weekly at 93.7 dB (200 mm from speakers, 20 µPa) just after sunset for 1.5 h over an annual period. Attracted individuals (conspecifics) were sexed and females were dissected. Temperatures were measured at each sampling date, and moon phase was recorded. Adult G. africana flew to the song broadcast from spring to autumn, with activity peaking mid-spring and again in late summer to early autumn. Spring flights were characterized by a significant female bias, whereas sexes were present in equal proportions during summer and autumn. The monthly sex ratio of flying individuals was not significantly different from that of mole crickets sampled in the field. Flying females were only reproductively mature in spring to early summer and contained eggs beginning in late spring. Eggs per flying female declined into summer. Flight activity and gender of G. africana were significantly positively related to temperature, with air temperature showing the highest degree of correlation. Moon phase showed no significant relationship with the total number of flying individuals or that of genders.
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Database assignments for author(s): Johan de Graaf

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
population dynamics/ epidemiology
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Gryllotalpa africana		South Africa