CHARACTERIZATION OF PRAIRIE MOLE CRICKET CHORUSING SITES IN OKLAHOMA

Prairie mole crickets Gryllotalpa major were known historically from t he southern tallgrass prairie region of North America, but have declin ed substantially and are now restricted to prairie fragments in Missou ri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Surveys of calling males in Oklahom a from 1987 through 1991 located sixty distinct chorusing sites, 70% o f which were located within the historical tallgrass prairie biome. Ch orusing sites were characterized by higher silt content and higher pla nt diversity than sites where crickets did not call. Adequate silt con tent of the soil may be critical to proper burrow construction. Higher plant species diversity on chorusing sites is probably the result of past land management practices such as mowing for hay. Although presen tly secure in Oklahoma, prairie mole cricket populations may be threat ened in the future by land use changes and continued habitat fragmenta tion.