17 s of calling song; holotype from Alpine, San Diego County, Calif.; 25.0°C. D. B. Weissman, recording no. 97-18; used by permission.
Click on sound bar to hear graphed song.
Sound spectrogram of 5 s of calling at 25°C (from DBW rec. 97-18). Dominant frequency 4.0 kHz.
Click on sound bar to hear graphed song.
Sound spectrogram of first two chirps in 5s sound spectrogram; chirps are slowed to one-eighth speed.
Identification:
In the field, this species is easily identified by its prolonged chirps. Morphologically it is characterized by a pubescent pronotum, a head narrower than the pronotum, and no individuals with hindwings shorter than the forewings. Gryllus assimilis, a closely related species known from south Florida and south-most Texas, is morphologically indistinguishable from G. multipulsator but its calling song has briefer chirps (8-10 pulses vs. 12-16 for multipulsator). In both species the pulses become more widely spaced (i.e., are produced at a slower rate) as the chirp progresses.
Life cycle:
No diapausing stage, possibly making it easy to rear continuously for scientific or commercial purposes.
