Great Grig (Cyphoderris monstrosa)
provided by Singing Insects of North America (text)
"Identification: Length 20–30 mm. Male subgenital plate with a ventrally directed process that is shaped like the nail-pulling claw of a hammer.
Habitat: Forest characterized by lodgepole pine, Englemann spruce, and mountain hemlock. At night some individuals climb high into trees, probably to feed on staminate cones.
Season: June–Aug.
Song at 25°C: A succession of short trills consisting of short duration pulses produced at a rate of about 76/sec. The carrier frequency is nearly pure and about 13 kHz. Males begin calling at late dusk at the bases of tree trunk and climb higher as the night progresses. An hour after sunset most are out of reach; calling from heights of more than 5 m is common.
Similar species: Sagebrush grig (C. strepitans)—ventrally directed process of male subgenital plate not cleft.
More information: family Prophalangopsidae
References: Bucknell 1923; Spooner 1973; Mesa & Ferreira 1984; Mason 1991, 1996; Mason et al. 1999."
- Bucknell ER. 1923. Cyphoderris monstrosa Uhler in British Columbia (Orthoptera). Can. Entomol. 55: 225-230.
- Mason AC. 1991. Hearing in a primitive ensiferan: The auditory system of Cyphoderris monstrosa (Orthoptera: Haglidae). J. Comp. Physiol. A. Sens. Neural. Behav. Physiol. 168: 351-364.
- Mason AC. 1996. Territoriality and the function of song in the primitive acoustic insect Cyphoderris monstrosa (Orthoptera: Haglidae). Anim. Behav. 51: 211-224.
- Mason AC, Morris GK, Hoy RR. 1999. Peripheral frequency mis-match in the primitive ensiferan Cyphoderris monstrosa (Orthoptera: Haglidae). J. Comp. Physiol. A. Sens. Neural. Behav. Physiol. 184: 543-551.
- Mesa A, Ferreira A. 1984. A cytogenetic look at the Haglidae through study of the chromosomes of 2 of its 4 relict species Cyphoderris monstrosa and Cyphoderris strepitans (Orthoptera: Ensifera). Occas. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich. : 1-11.
- Spooner JD. 1973. Sound production in Cyphoderris monstrosa (Orthoptera: Prophalangopsidae). Ann Entomol Soc Am 66: 4-5.
