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Migrating Mormon Crickets, Anabrus Simplex (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), As Food for Stream Fishes

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Migrating Mormon Crickets, Anabrus Simplex (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), As Food for Stream Fishes Great Basin Naturalist Volume 48 Number 1 Article 4 1-31-1988 Migrating Mormon crickets, Anabrus simplex (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), as food for stream fishes Harold M. Tyus U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vernal, Utah W. L. Minckley Arizona State University, Tempe Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Tyus, Harold M. and Minckley, W. L. (1988) "Migrating Mormon crickets, Anabrus simplex (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), as food for stream fishes," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 48 : No. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol48/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. MIGRATING MORMON GRICKETS, ANABRUS SIMPLEX (ORTHOPTERA: TETTIGONIIDAE), AS FOOD FOR STREAM FISHES Harold M. Tyus' and W. L. Minckley" Abstract —Migrating hands oi Mormon crickets (Anahni.s simplex) were oI)served crossing the Green and Yampa rivers in Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah, in 1986 and 1987. Swimming crickets were swept downstream and eaten by loin- endemic and seven introduced fish species. Included were two endangered fishes, Colorado squawfish {Ptycliochcilus luciiis ) and humpback chub (Gila cyplia ). Direct and indirect effects to aquatic food webs associated with application ol pesticides for Mormon cricket control may pose a threat to these fishes and to man. The Mormon cricket {Anahrus simplex controversy concerns Park Service policy to Haldeman) occurs only in western North treat crickets with natural controls, if needed America where it is generally regarded as an (National Park Service 1986), since aerial agricultural pest (Wakeland 1959). This spraying could adversely affect endangered flightless, long-horned grasshopper is primar- species in DNM. The objectives of this study ily solitary in low-density subpopulations but are to evaluate fish predation on Mormon becomes gregarious and migratory with high crickets in DNM, discuss possible signifi- densities, moving from its mountain breeding cance to fishes of a periodic, massive, and areas to plague croplands (Gapinera and seasonal food supply, and comment on possi- MacVean 1987). Earliest records oi this insect ble impacts of cricket controls on fishes, date to Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake acjuatic communities, and man. Valley in 1847 and to the legendary cricket plague of 1848 (Bancroft 1889, Whitney 1892). Methods Although most reports stress the detrimen- The availability of Mormon crickets in tal effects of Mormon cricket outbreaks. Mor- streams and predation on them by fishes were mon crickets potentially provide an abundant evaluated by visual observations, use of crick- and high-quality food source (Defoliart et al. ets as bait, and direct inspection of stomachs 1982). Predation by terrestrial animals in- of nonnative species taken by angling, tram- cludes about 50 species of birds, mammals, mel nets, and electrofishing. Angling in- and reptiles; however, references to preda- cluded bottom-fishing with weighted hooks tion by aquatic animals are few (Wakeland and surface-fishing with floats. Mormon crick- 1959). Mormon crickets swim readily (LaRiv- ets were hooked through the thorax and abdo- ers 1956), as do other Orthoptera, and refer- men. Weekly trips through the Green and ence to their movements into Utah streams Yampa rivers in 1986 and 1987 (May through and lakes dates to 1848 (Bancroft 1889). Swim- July) included the season when crickets were ming crickets would be exposed to aquatic present. predators during migrations, but we found no Average weights of late instar and adult reference to predation on this species by Mormon crickets were obtained in 1987 by fishes. weighing 20-50 individuals from several large Annual Mormon cricket outbreaks and mi- bands. All crickets in a 5-30-m section of road grations in Dinosaur National Monument were collected and weighed on a 1,000 x 2-g (DNM), Golorado and Utah (Fig. 1), have re- platform scale. Grickets were placed in previ- newed an old controversy about control of ously tared plastic bags, and subsamples were crickets by aerial spraying of pesticides (Gap- separated by sex. Gricket bands were located inera and MacVean 1987), U.S. Fish and on Harpers Gorner Road in DNM from 19 Wildlife Service 1986, 1987). A part of this July to 14 August 1987. 'us. Fish and Wildlife Sen ice, 1680 West Hwv 40, Kooin 1210. Vernal, Utah 84078. "Department of Zoology. Arizona State University. Tempe, Arizona 85287. 25 26 Great Basin Naturalist Vol. 48, No. 1 WYOMING Yampa y River Dinosaur National Monument Duchesne River White ^\ River UTAH COLORADO '^^' ^^^ .^^ \o' 4^ ^0 40 80 km V\%. 1. Map ol iipiKT (Colorado and Cr-cii lixcr basins, (^jloiado and I'lali Results unicjue and substantial oruanic input to the (wren and Vampa rixcrs in DNM in 1986 and Migratory Mormon erickets formed a 1987. Voun<i eriekets were first observed on January 1988 Tyus, Minckley: Mormon Crickets 27 Table 1. Numbers of fish captured usiug Mormon cricket, Analinis simplex, as bait or fish whose stomachs contained crickets. All fish were captured in DNM 1986-1987 ([ — ] indicates no records kept). 28 Great Basin Naturalist Vol. 48, No. 1 upstream of the confluence (13-km reach), food might enhance fish reproductive success, and none of 25 individuals of the same three postreproductive recovery, or both. species collected there had consumed crick- We do not advocate that native fishes time ets. reproductive behavior to cricket input. How- ever, a demonstrable relationship between Discussion nutrition and reproductixe success in these fishes would be of interest, and long-lived Mormon Crickets and Stream Ecology fishes could incorporate such unpredictable The movements of large bands of Mormon major outbreaks to advantage in life-history crickets into the Green and Yampa rivers in strategies (Smith 1981, Tyus 1986). Longevi- DNM in 1986 and 1987 provided a substantial ties of endemic Colorado River fishes studied and high-quality organic input to this system. to date indicate long life is an exceptional This must have been the case in other years of attribute of this fauna. Bonytail chub (Gila major outbreaks, such as from 1980 to 1987 in elegans) older than 40 years have been re- DNM (Gapineraand MacVean 1987, National ported, razorback sucker (Xyrauclien tex- Park Service 1986). Mormon cricket availabil- aniis) commonly reach 30 to 40 years, and ity may be important to the ecology of both Colorado sciuawfish that formerly achieved native and nonnative fishes. This is especially 1.8 m in length must have lived even longer true in DNM, which contains the only known (McCarth)' and Minckley 1987, Rinne et al. spawning site for the endangered humpback 1986). Periodic outbreaks of Mormon crickets chub in the Green River Basin, and one of the could contribute significantly to nutrition, di- two confirmed spawning sites for the endan- rectly or indirectly, tor a number of consecu- gered Colorado squawfish (Tyus et al. 1987). tive or disjunct years during such a long pe- Various investigators have studied Green riod of life. River fishes (Holden and Stalnaker 1975, High Hows and seasonal flooding in the Miller 1964, Miller et al. 1982, Vanicek and mainstream Green River are now reduced by Kramer 1969) with emphasis on rare, native dams (Joseph et al. 1977). This alters or pre- species listed or considered for listing as cludes floodplain inundation and removes threatened or endangered (U.S. Department particulate organics through reservoir entrap- of the Interior 1985). The fauna also includes ment (e.g., Minckley and Rinne 1986). numerous nonnative fishes introduced for Flooded lowlands were formerly expansive sport, forage, food, or by accident (Tyus et al. during sustained high flows, which often ex- 1982). Food habits of native fishes are gener- ceeded mean discharge (181 m'Vsecond, based ally known (Vanicek and Kramer 1969, Jacobi on an 86-year record at Jensen, Utah) b\' more and Jacobi 1982), but their seasonal use of than an order of magnitude during snowmelt terrestrial animals is not. Foods of nonnative (Remilliard et al. 1986). Floodplain connnuni- species are described for other rivers (e.g., ties were thus made available to predation by Carlander 1977), but few data exist in DNM. riverine fishes, as observed elsewhere Mormon cricket movements into rivers in (Welcomme 1979). In the Green River, Colo- DNM in spring provide food for stream fishes. rado scjuawfish and ra/orback sucker have This is a time when flooding, scouring, and been radiotracked to flooded lowlands, where annual insect emergence reduce food they presumably feed (Tyus 1987, Tyus et al. availability. High-water turbidity presumably 1987). Flood reduction and loss of al- reduces visual feeding efficiency of predatory lochthonous inputs ma>' make seasonal inputs fishes, yet large nmnbers of crickets at or near of terrestrial animals, including Mormon the water surface are vulneral)le to a((uatic crickets, more important now than histori- predators. Cricket availability c()incid(\s with cally. prereproductive periods lor some native spe- Mormon Cricket Control cies, including roimdtail and humpback chubs, flaimelmouth sucker, and Colorado In their natural grassland or sagebrush- s(|uawfish. As reported by Defoliart et al. dominated habitats. Mormon crickets prefer (1982), adult Mormon crickets have a mean lo irvd on succulent, herbaceous vegetation. crude protein content of 58% and a iat content Damage to range grasses is considered so of 16.5%. Such abundant and high-(jualit\ slight that the\ are not generalK considered a January 1988 Tyus, Minckley: Mormon Crickets 29 serious livestock competitor (Capinera and Contamination of aquatic habitats may fur- MacVean 1987, Corkins 1923, Cowen 1932). ther occur through mass movements of pesti- Bands of crickets migrating into croplands cide-laden Mormon crickets into streams, and have resulted in economic damage that is leg- entrainment of other contaminated animals.
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