Pacific field crickets on Moloka’i are singing a new tune
In what could be a case of remarkably fast animal evolution, the crickets of Hawaii have begun to purr. The discovery is the latest twist in a decades-long battle between crickets and a parasitic fly that is attracted by their songs.
Male crickets usually sing to attract a mate, but this makes the Pacific field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) on Hawaii easy targets for a parasite. This fly (Ormia ochracea) tracks down crickets by their songs, and deposits its maggots on them. These then burrow inside their host,…
