Hadenoecus_cumberlandicus
Hadenoecus cumberlandicus
Species of cricket
Hadenoecus cumberlandicus,[1] the Cumberland cave cricket, is a species of camel cricket in the family Rhaphidophoridae. It is found in North America.[2][3][4]
This article needs to be updated. (January 2022) |
The Cumberland cave cricket aggregates into groups or clusters within cave wall recesses and is considered vital to cave community ecosystems, noted as a keystone species.[5] The crickets aggregate to minimize dehydration using specialized pheromones that reduce mobility on contact, acting as an anti-predator defense tactic from cave spiders. It has been found to have a co-occurrence relationship with the cave orb weaver spider Meta ovalis. Some populations of H. cumberlandicus are parthenogenic.[6]