11 s of calling song, male from San Diego County, Calif., 23.5°C. Dominant frequency 3.6 kHz. Recording by D. B. Weissman (S97-60, R97-71); used by permission.
This spectrogram is a 2 s excerpt of the 11 s audio file accessible above. The excerpt begins at 3 s.
30 s of calling, from San Diego County, Calif., 23.5°C. Dominant frequency 3.7 kHz. Recording by D.B. Weissman (S09-18, R-09-17); used by permission.
This spectrogram is a 10 s excerpt of the 30 s audio file accessible immediately above. The excerpt begins at 1 s.
Spectrogram showing first 8 chirps of 10 s sample immediately above.
Song:
Weissman et al. (1980) described the song as having 2 to 4 pulses per chirp produced at a rate of 23–45 per sec at 25°C.
Identification:
A key to the adult males of native US Gryllus is in Weissman and Gray (2019).
Salt and freshwater marshes, irrigated gardens, streams, and ponds.
Life cycle:
One to two generations per year depending on location. No egg diapause.
Season:
Late winter to early spring with some populations persisting into late summer into winter.
Remarks:
Males tend to sing under dense vegetation making it difficult to collect even though they are easy to approach. Because this species tends to congregate under rocks and other items, checking such places may result in a capture. Oatmeal trails can be used as well.
Name derivation:
Latin: "voco" means "call"; probably in reference to the loudness and fast pulse rate of the calling song.
