Latest Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research Latest 2 Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research https://jor.pensoft.net/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 13:20:34 +0200 Pensoft FeedCreator https://jor.pensoft.net/i/logo.jpg Latest Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research https://jor.pensoft.net/ The effects of rearing density on growth, survival, and starvation resistance of the house cricket Acheta domesticus https://jor.pensoft.net/article/86496/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 32(1): 25-31

DOI: 10.3897/jor.32.86496

Authors: Siyumi Mahavidanage, Tamara M. Fuciarelli, Xiaobing Li, C. David Rollo

Abstract: Alternative food sources have become an important focus of research due to increased food demand coupled with reductions in traditional food productivity. In particular, substitutes for protein sources have been of increasing interest due to the unsustainability of traditional protein sources. Insects have been identified as a sustainable alternative to traditional protein sources, as they are easy to produce and contain essential proteins, fats, and minerals. However, mass-rearing insects requires similar considerations as farming traditional protein sources. To increase productively, growth and survival must be maximized at the highest possible densities while minimizing disease and food requirements. Here, we use the house cricket Acheta domesticus, a highly cultivated insect species, to investigate optimal densities for mass rearing at 14 days of age (4th instar). Nymphs were separated into density groups of 0.09, 0.19, 0.47, and 0.93 cricket/cm2 and monitored for growth and survival. Multiple regression revealed sex (p < 0.0001), density (p < 0.0001), and sex*density interaction (p = 0.0345) as predictors of growth rate. Survival to maturation was significantly reduced in both 0.47 (31%) and 0.93 (45%) cricket/cm2 groups compared to the controls. A second experiment was then conducted to investigate the starvation resistance of adult crickets reared from 14 days of age at 0.09, 0.19, 0.93, and 1.86 cricket/cm2. A second multiple regression analysis revealed only density (p < 0.0001) and to a lesser extent sex (p = 0.0005) to be predictors of starvation resistance. These results indicate that mass-rearing house crickets is most optimal at densities < 0.93 cricket/cm2, where impacts on survival and starvation are minimal. Although these results have implications for cricket mass rearing, research on other endpoints, including reproduction and the synergistic effects of other environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, should be conducted.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Research Article Tue, 21 Feb 2023 16:10:20 +0200
First record of Myrmecophilus (Myrmecophilus) quadrispinus for Peru and South America (Orthoptera, Myrmecophilidae) https://jor.pensoft.net/article/84157/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 31(2): 197-200

DOI: 10.3897/jor.31.84157

Authors: Nicolás Naveda Yuan, Thomas Stalling

Abstract: The first record of the ant cricket Myrmecophilus (Myrmecophilus) quadrispinus Perkins, 1899 for Peru and South America is presented. This species was discovered in the city of Lima in the nests of the ant species Brachymyrmex cordemoyi Forel, 1895, and Pheidole sp. Westwood, 1939 under a square brick and a stone in two urban gardens.

HTML

XML

PDF

]]>
Research Article Tue, 1 Nov 2022 11:19:59 +0200