Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Gryllidae Members:	NC Records
Allonemobius tinnulus (Fulton, 1931) - Tinkling Ground Cricket

Female

Taxonomy

Family: Gryllidae	Subfamily: Nemobiinae	Tribe: Pteronemobiini	Synonym: Nemobius tinnulus
Comments: One of ten species in this genus, all of which occur in North America north of Mexico (Cigliano et al., 2017). Eight species have been recorded in North Carolina.
Species Status: First described as a subspecies of Nemobius fasciatus by Fulton (1931), based on a specimen collected in Raleigh. Raised to full species status by Alexander and Thomas (1959).

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Capinera et al. (2004, not illustrated); Elliot and Hershberger (2006); Himmelman (2009)	Online Photographs: BugGuide, SINA, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF	Technical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Fulton (1931); Howard and Furth (1986)	SINA 530a.htm
Comments: Fulton described tinnulus as tawny, with the head and pronotum cinnamon brown; the stripes on the head are faint or absent. Other members of the Fasciatus group are darker or more strongly striped on the rear of the head (Alexander and Thomas, 1959; Howard and Furth, 1986). In females, the abdomen is buffy brown with a blackish median stripe; in males, the abdomen is nearly all black (Fulton, 1931).
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 8.1-9.2 mm, males; 9.0-10.2, females (Howard and Furth, 1986)
Structural Features: Only micropterous (flightless) individuals have been observed (Fulton, 1931; Alexander and Thomas, 1959; Thomas and Furth, 1986)
Singing Behavior: Fulton (1931) described the song of tinnulus as consisting of a series of "sharp, metallic chirps, with constant rhythm, 6-9 per second". The dominant frequency ranges between 7 and 7.7 kHz at warm temperatures (Elliot and Hershberger, 2006; SINA, 2017). Other species with similar tinkling songs include Allonemobius allardi, A. walkeri, A. fultoni, and Anaxipha tinnulacita, but all have a faster pulse rate at a given temperature than tinnulus (Howard and Furth, 1986; Walker and Funk, 2014). Anaxipha tinnulenta -- the Slow-tinkling Trig -- however, can be easily confused with A. tinnulus, as recognized by Fulton (1956). This species has a somewhat slower pulse rate, around 5 pulses per second, but sings at a similar pitch, between 6.5 and 7 kHz (Walker and Funk, 2014) and has a similar pure tonal quality. The range and phenology of this species in North Carolina also closely overlaps that of Allonemobius tinnulus. Anaxipha tinnulenta, however, is associated with old fields, wood edges, and other fairly open, weedy habitats (Walker and Funk, 2014), not the dry woodlands occupied by A. tinnulus. Ground crickets also stick close to the surface, whereas trigs sing from up in vegetation.
Diagnostic Song Parameters:

Recording playback at normal speed.
Download Video: "MP4"

Distribution in North Carolina


County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Adult Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: According to Fulton (1931), tinnulus is a open woodland species, occurring in both pine woodlands and dry oak-hickory woodlands.

Diet: Probably omnivorous

Observation Methods: Most easily detected by song

Abundance/Frequency: Usually heard as solitary individuals

Adult Phenology: In North Carolina, males begin to sing in early August and have been heard as late as early December (Fulton, 1951)

See also Habitat Account for General Dry-Xeric Woodlands

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S4S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands

Comments: This species appears to be widespread across the state and associated with common types of forest habitats. Consequently, it appears to be secure.

Image Gallery for Allonemobius tinnulus - Tinkling Ground Cricket
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Scotland Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Bladen Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Duplin Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Sampson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall Chatham Co. Comment: 8 syllables per second @ 7.8 kHz and 78F
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Greene Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wayne Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and David George Chatham Co. Comment: 7 syllables per second @ 7.3 khz	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment: 7.7 syllables per second at 7.5 kHz. Forest edge where adults were photographed
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment: Singing in xeric oak barrens	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: 8 pulses per second @ 7.6 kHz; temperature was in the low 80s	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Cabarrus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment: Female
	Recorded by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment: 7-8 pulses per second @ 7.4 kHz, 88 degrees F (= 31 C); singing along the edge of a mixed stand of pines and hardwoods	Recorded by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment: Several seen along a gravel road running between a grassy field and a stand of dry, second-growth hardwoods; close to where a recording was made of a male

MP3 Gallery for Allonemobius tinnulus - Tinkling Ground Cricket
1	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. 2021-09-30 82 F, 2:40 pm, calling in open weedy habitat	2	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. 2021-09-13 Heard singing from the ground in xeric glade
3	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Cabarrus Co. 2020-10-21 7 pulses per second, 7.6 kHz, 80 F, calling from area with young hardwood saplings	4	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. 2019-08-15

Allonemobius tinnulus (Fulton, 1931) - Tinkling Ground Cricket

Image Gallery for Allonemobius tinnulus - Tinkling Ground Cricket

MP3 Gallery for Allonemobius tinnulus - Tinkling Ground Cricket