On the role of pheromones in aggregation formation in camel crickets, Ceuthophilus secretus (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae)

Abstract

Choice chamber preference tests were used to determine if camel crickets, Ceuthophilus secretus, use pheromones in forming aggregations. Insects occurred significantly more often on choice chamber sides having filter paper scented by exposure to conspecifics than they did on unconditioned filter paper. Insects also formed aggregations significantly more quickly when exposed to conspecifics as opposed to nonconspecific scents in the choice chambers. These data demonstrate that C. secretus use an aggregation pheromone. Insects occurred significantly more often on sides conditioned with ether extracts of whole insect bodies as opposed to unconditioned sides. Insects also occurred significantly more often on filter paper conditioned with abdomen extracts as opposed to unconditioned filter paper, but no preference was shown for extracts from the head and thorax region. These data demonstrate that the abdomen is the generalized site of aggregation pheromone production. Insects which had both antennae removed were unable to form aggregations in response to conspecific scent, thus indicating that the antennae are the site of aggregation pheromone reception.

The Pheromone of the Cave Cricket,Hadenoecus cumberlandicus, Causes Cricket Aggregation but Does Not Attract the Co-Distributed Predatory Spider,Meta ovalis

“…guano), supported by previous work on crickets (Nagel and Cade 1983; McFarlane et al 1983) and locusts (Byers 1991), site persistence, and resultant expression of aggregation behavior. This study also seeks to examine whether this H. cumberlandicus aggregation pheromone, if present, is attractive for M. ovalis , which may explain the co-occurrence of this predator in proximity to the H. cumberlandicus roost by acting as a host cue (kairomone).…”

“…The response is not stage-specific, because nymphs react to excreta from female adults and female adults react to excreta from nymphs, which rules out classification of this chemical cue as a sex pheromone (furthermore, this test population of H. cumberlandicus is parthenogenic, where a sex pheromone has no purpose). Although speculative, the apparent derivation of aggregation pheromone from feces agrees with the abdominal origin of aggregation pheromone in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus ( McFarlane et al 1983 ) and the camel cricket, Ceuthophilus secretus ( Nagel and Cade 1983 ). Although active components of H. cumberlandicus aggregation pheromone have not yet been identified (inconsistent results with uric acid rules it out experimentally), based upon related studies, it is conceivable that the active components are phenolic-based or organic acids derived from resident gut bacteria ( McFarlane et al 1983 ; Dillon et al 2002 ).…”

“…Natural aggregation pheromone was collected by placing H. cumberlandicus , 10 at a time, in a plastic cooler (ca. 2,000 cc, l × w × h) containing a filter paper disc for 48 h, modified from aggregation pheromone collection by Nagel and Cade ( 1983 ) and McFarlane et al ( 1983 ). Collection of natural pheromone was made from female adults as well as nymphs (mixed stages) and a total of 10 filter paper discs were prepared each from a separate population of H. cumberlandicus (10 from adults and 10 from nymphs).…”

Reproductive biology of Hawaiian lava crickets

“…Lava crickets of both sexes have extremely elongated antennae, reflecting their reliance on mechanosensory and chemosensory cues to navigate their environment (personal observation, all authors). Other wingless cave cricket species of both sexes use excreta-based cues for aggregation ( Yoder et al, 2010 ), as do other common cricket species ( McFarlane et al, 1983 ; Nagel and Cade, 1983 ). Lava cricket mating may parallel that of the wingless Cook Strait giant weta, wherein males compete in scrambles for mates ( Kelly and Gwynne, 2022 ; Kelly and Gwynne, 2023 ), and further work could explore this possibility.…”

Not quite social - possible cases of gregarious behaviour of immatures of various lineages of Insecta in 100-million-year-old amber

“…The aggregation of immatures is active, i.e. they use chemical traits (McFarlane et al 1983), more precisely pheromones (Nagel & Cade 1983) to keep the coherence of the group.…”