Gryllus cayensis Walker

Weissman, David B. & Gray, David A., 2019, Crickets of the genus Gryllus in the United States (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae), Zootaxa 4705 (1), pp. 1-277 : 130

Gryllus cayensis Walker

Keys Wood Cricket

Figs 127–129

2001 Gryllus cayensis Walker 2001 . Florida Ent. 84: 700. Holotype male ( Fig. 127 ); allotype female ( Fig. 128 ) (all courtesy Kyle Schnepp): Florida, Monroe Co., Key Largo. Deposited in FSCA Florida State Collection.

Distribution. Known only from southern Florida ( Walker, 2019), and probably extirpated from the Florida Keys by past mosquito spraying that started in 1972 ( Walker 2001).

Recognition characters and song. No calling song. Only woodland inhabiting Gryllus species there although G. assimilis , G. firmus , and G. rubens also occur in southern Florida ( Capinera et al. 2004).

DNA. Multilocus 2018-002, Florida, Monroe Co., Everglades National Park, Long Pine Key, 14-v-2018. 25.401352° -80.660966°. Closest (Gray et al. 2019) to sister species G. fultoni and G. vernalis .

Discussion. The reader is referred to Walker (2001, 2019) for further information, since our exposure is limited. When DAG looked for them in Everglades National Park, in May, 2018, he was rained out on 3 consecutive nights and felt lucky to get 1 adult female to an oatmeal trail ( Fig. 129 ). At least some individuals survived the area’s 2017 flooding from Hurricane Irma.

Figures

FIGURE 127. Holotype male of G. cayensis, with labels.

FIGURE 128. Allotype female of G. cayensis, with labels.

FIGURE 129. Photograph of live G. cayensis female used in multilocus sequencing.