Gryllus personatus Uhler, 1864

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 : 176-181

Gryllus personatus Uhler

Badlands Field Cricket

Figs 170–174 , 179–182 , 185 , Table 1

1864 Gryllus personatus Uhler, Proc. Ent. Soc. Philadelphia 2: p. 547. Type locality: Kansas. Holotype female ( Fig. 179 ): “Collection of P. R. Uhler. Gryllus personatus Kans. Uhler. Red type label, 14066.” In addition, there is a pink circular label without writing. Deposited at ANSP. Body length 14.6 mm, hind femur length 10.3 mm, pronotum 3.5 mm long and 5.3 mm wide. Holotype is a shriveled female once preserved in alcohol but now pinned. The head and pronotum are brown, area below eye straw brown or cream, short traverse band between the eyes, fastigum of vertex with three prominent straw brown streaks, entire lateral pronotal lobe straw brown, all legs uniform straw brown. The tegmina are darker yellow brown and almost reach the tip of the abdomen. Ovipositor curved and longer than hind femur.

‘ Gryllus #17’ of DBW notebooks.

Distribution. Known from seven western US states (see Fig. 181 ) and adjacent Mexico.

Recognition characters and song. Medium to very large crickets (see Table 1 , p. 18). Song ( Fig. 180 , R07-74), at 25°C, unique within its range: chirps typically with 5-8 pulses, although all three males from Brackettville, TX, (S10-63), had 4 p/c. Usually from 100 to 180 c/m, pulse rate usually between 50-70 (range 48-91), dominant frequency 4 kHz. Probably two generations/year in southern distribution. Among western US taxa with similar songs, differs from sympatric (at Brackettville and Big Bend, Texas) G. assimilis that has a slower CR, more p/c, dull (hirsute) pronotum, inhabits moister areas such as lawns, and almost no light brown/straw colors on body. Differs from more western allopatric sister species G. lineaticeps which has a faster CR, higher dominant frequency ( Fig. 173 and Gray et al. 2016b) and lacks cream colors on the head or body. Differs from usually allopatric sister species G. staccato that has variable p/c, a faster pulse rate and chirp rate, a higher dominant frequency ( Fig. 173 and Gray et al. 2016b), a shorter ovipositor ( Table 1 , p. 18), more file teeth and teeth/mm, and occurs in hotter, dryer areas. Some male G. staccato can have very uniform number of pulses/chirp but can be separated from similar sounding G. personatus by the presence of some chirps with variable number of pulses. G. personatus and G. staccato have been found microsympatric only at the abandoned gas station at Road Forks, New Mexico (S81-38) near the southeastern Arizona border. Even there, separated by microhabitat as G. staccato within the confines of the abandoned gas station while G. personatus is in cracks in the clay-soil fields surrounding the gas station. Both taxa can have linear head stripes, cream colored areas completely around the eyes frequently extending onto the lower, adjacent half of pronotum, and speckles on face between eyes. G. personatus usually at higher elevations.

Derivation of name. “persona” = mask; “tus” = having the nature of, which nicely describes the similarity seen in the holotype and many of our specimens that have facial and pronotum markings as seen in Fig. 179 .

Geographic range. Fig. 181 . Known from east and west of the Rockies from 335–2005m. Despite much collecting effort in the type locality of “ Kansas,” we have not found this species there. It does occur near the western Kansas border at La Junta, Colorado (S09-82). Given the amount of land usage change in Kansas in the 150 years since the type was described, its absence in that state is not surprising. Fortunately, the distinctive coloration and color pattern of the holotype female leave us confident that this ID is correct. While we document 6 species of Gryllus in Kansas, none look like the holotype of G. personatus .

Habitat. When far from human habitation, this cricket frequently associated with clay-type badlands (Road Forks, NM, S81-38; near Dinosaur National Monument, CO, S99-128; and Badlands National Park, SD, S09-89), usually living in deep cracks and the only Gryllus resident there, except at Badlands where it occurs with G. mak- hosica. Found within ~100 meters of G. saxatilis in San Juan Co., UT (38.399167, -109.401148, on 26-v-2017), but separated by microhabitat (clay soils v. rocky slope). Also occurs around human structures in towns away from clay soils.

Life cycle and seasonal occurrence. No egg diapause (checked from Las Cruces, NM, S83-103; and Tom Green Co., TX, S88-31). Probably 2 generations/year in southern distribution (e.g. Big Bend, Texas [S85-39]), but undoubtedly one generation in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Adults known from mid-March into September but we have not collected areas where it could occur outside of this time period.

Variation. Color: Variable from light colored bodies, frequently with linear head stripes ( Fig. 182 ) similar to those seen in G. staccato , to individuals almost pure black except for a light-colored patch below the eyes ( Fig. 182 ) as seen in one male from Badlands National Park, SD, S93-53 and one female from Alpine, TX, S07-41). Females can have a light tegminal stripe along the fore wing angle ( Fig. 182 ). Pulses/chirp: see “Discussion”. Wing length: Of 155 individuals of both sexes, 56 had long hind wings.

Specimens examined. Arizona. Coconino Co., 3.1 m SE Yuba City , 4800’, 6-viii-1991 (S91-82), 1♀ . Hwy 99 6.85 road m NW intersection US 40 , 4900 ’, 8-viii-1991 (S91-89) 1♀ . Navajo Co., Holbrook, 5080’ 8-ix-1999 (S99-116) 1♂ . Winslow , 4852’, 10-viii-2003, 10♂ 9♀ ; 10-viii-2010, 4♂ 9♀ ; 27-vii-2012, 6♀. Hwy 77 0-12 m N US40 , 5400 ’, 7-viii-1991 (S91-86) 5♂ 5♀ . Hwy 180 1 m S entrance Petrified Forest National Park , 5400’, 8-viii- 1991 (S91-88) 1♂ ; 8-ix-1999 (S99-114) 1♀ . Colorado. Crowley Co., Manzanola, 4200’, 26-viii-1989 (S89-65) 1♂ 3♀ . Huerfano Co., 10 m E Walsenburg , 5800’ 22-vi-1987 (S87-64) 1♂ 1♀ . Otero Co., La Junta 4100’, 2-vii-2009 (S09-82) 2♂ 6♀ . Pueblo Co., Hwy 96 between Fowler and Hwy 50, 4300-4600’, 26-viii-1989 (S89-64) 1♂ . New Mexico. Chaves Co., Roswell, 28-vi-2009 (S09-58) 2♂ . Cibola Co., Grants, 6340’ 1-vii-1994 (S94-43) 2♂ . Dona Ana Co., Las Cruces, 26-vi-1983 (S83-103) 5♂ 2♀ ; Las Cruces, University New Mexico, 23-viii-1982 (S82-99) 2♂ . Eddy Co., Artesia, 3428’, 30-vi-2015 (S15-58) 1♂ 1♀ . Hope , 4095’ 30-vi-2015 (S15-57) 1♂ 1♀ . Hidalgo Co., Road Forks , 4000’, 29-vii-1981 (S81-38) 2♂ . McKinley Co., Gallup, 2005m, 27-vii-2003, 35° 31’ 56.9” -108° 39’ 57.8 ( DAG 2003-31) 1♂ . Sandoval Co., San Ysidro, 5600’ 6-vi-1985 (S85-51) 1♂ . Socorro Co., Socorro 4460’ 13- vi-2007 (S07-50) 3♂ 2♀ ; 29-vi-2015 (S15-54) 1♂ 1♀ . South Dakota. Jackson Co., Badlands National Park , Big Badlands Overlook, 3100’, 22-vi-1993 (S93-53) 12♂ 3♀ ; 30-vii-1997 (S97-90) 1♂ . Cedar Pass , 2700’ 29-viii-1989 (S89-75) 1♂ ; 3-vii-2009 (S09-89) 4♀ . Utah. San Juan Co., Blackridge , 3.1 m E Hwy 191, 5849’, 38.399167, - 109.401148, 26-v-2017, 1♀ . Uintah Co., Hwy 149 1 m S entrance Dinosaur National Monument, 5000’ 10-ix-1999 (S99-128) 1♂ . Washington Co., W border of Zion National Park , 4060’ 10-vi-1996 (S96-55) 1♂ 1♀ . Wayne Co., Hanksville, 4500’ 1-viii-1992 (S92-109) 1♂ . Texas. Brewster Co., Alpine, 4200’, 5-vi-1991 (S91-44) 1♂ 3♀ ; 12-vi- 2007 (S07-41) 6♂ 4♀ . Big Bend National Park, Rio Grande Village , 2100’ 11-iii-1985 (S85-39) 4♂ 4♀ ; 9-vi-1985 (S85-56) 4♂ 2♀ ; 5-vi-1991 (S91-43) 2♂ 2♀; 28-v-2016 (S16-12) 5♂ 6♀. 12 m SW Marfa , 19-viii-1984 (S84-53) 1♂ . Hwy 118 near Terlingua , 2566’ 2-vii-2015 (S15-71) 5♂ 2♀ . Culberson Co., Van Horn, 4100’ 6-vi-1991 (S91- 48) 5♂ 2♀ . Dimmit Co., 19-viii-1964, TJ Walker, 2♂ . Kinney Co., Brackettville, 1160’ 7 and 8-ix-2010 (S10-63) 4♂ 6♀ . Presidio Co., Presidio, 2400’ 26-vi-1986 (S86-46) 1♂ ; 27-v-2016 (S16-5, 6) 2♂ 2♀ . Tom Green Co., near junction Hwy 277 and 67, 1900’ 11-vi-1988 (S88-31) 2♂ 1♀ . Wyoming. Fremont Co., Shoshoni, 4849’, 18-vii- 2011 (S11-72) 1♂ .

DNA. Multilocus G1357, La Junta, CO, S09-82. Two sister species are G. lineaticeps (multilocus 2016-033) and G. staccato (multilocus 2016-034) (Gray et al. 2019). 16S DNA groups all 3 species together (also see Gray et al. 2016b).

Discussion. G. personatus typically has between 5-8 p/c, except for the 3 collected males from Brackettville, Texas (S10-63), its most eastern locality, where each had 4 p/c. G. assimilis has similarly spaced chirps but with 6-9 p/c, and it is generally separated ecologically from the former. We initially wondered if calling-song character displacement might be operative in reducing the p/c in this Brackettville G. personatus population? We subsequently discovered both species also sympatric at Rio Grande Village (S16-12) in Big Bend National Park, TX, where G. assimilis sang its typical song and the 5 recorded males of G. personatus had 6-7 (range 5-8) p/c.

G. personatus has been used in several recent investigations: Gray et al. 2016b, Gabel et al. 2016, Hennig et al. 2016, Blankers et al. 2016.

Figures

FIGURE 170. Five second waveforms of typical calling songs of (A) G. lineaticeps, (B) G. personatus, and (C) G. staccato. (A) G. lineaticeps: (R11-15) Mendocino Co., CA (S11-22), recorded at 24°C; (B) G. personatus: (R07-74) from Alpine, TX (S07-41), recorded at 25°C; (C) G. staccato (R15-291) from Gila Bend, AZ (S15-111), recorded at 25.1°C.

FIGURE 171. One second spectrograms of typical calling songs of (A) G. lineaticeps, (B) G. personatus, and (C) G. staccato, same males as in Fig. 170.

FIGURE 172. Known distribution (from Gray et al. 2016b) showing, basically, allopatric localities of the three Lineaticeps Group taxa.

FIGURE 173. Separation of species within the Lineaticeps Group by song (from Gray et al. 2016b). Most points represent lab-reared individuals; therefore, it is possible that field-caught individuals (see Table 1, p. 18) would show somewhat less clear separation given known effects of developmental temperature on song in field crickets (Walker 2000).

FIGURE 174. ITS2 gene tree. Collection stop numbers for G. lineaticeps samples: S00-15, Guadalupe Island, Mexico (G273); S04-64 (G352); S05-39 (G463); S09-28 (G1303); S09-37 (G1315). Collection stop numbers for G. personatus samples: S99- 84, Durango, Mexico (G393); S03-127, from Coahuila, Mexico (G75, G76); S07-41 (G1014); S09-58 (G1372); S09-151, from near Janos, Mexico (G1462, G1463); S16-6 (G3371). Collection stop numbers for G. staccato samples: S04-121 (G376); S09- 54 (G1397); S09-103 (G1407); S11-102 (G2186). See also Gray et al. (2016b).

FIGURE 179. Holotype female of Gryllus personatus, with labels.

FIGURE 180. Calling song (R07-74) of G. personatus from Alpine, TX (S07-41), recorded at 25°C; lower panel shows structure of a single chirp.

FIGURE 181. Known US distribution of G. personatus.

FIGURE 182. Color variation in G. personatus, moving left to right: Navajo Co., AZ (S91-86); Navajo Co., AZ (S91-88); Navajo Co., AZ (S91-86); Tom Green Co., TX (S88-31); Alpine, TX (S07-41).

FIGURE 185. Regression of width pronotum vs. length ovipositor in G. staccato vs. G. personatus.