18 s of calling song, holotype from Alpine, San Diego County, Calif., 25.0°C. Dominant frequency 4.0 kHz. D. B. Weissman, recording no. 97-18; used by permission. Click on sound bar to hear entire recording.
This sound spectrogram is a 3 s excerpt of the 18 s audio file accessible above. The excerpt begins at 3 s. Click on sound bar to hear graphed song.
Sound spectrogram of first two chirps of 5 s sample above; chirps are slowed to one-eighth speed. Click on sound bar to hear graphed song.
34 s of calling, from Pima County, Ariz., 25.4°C. Dominant frequency 4.5 kHz. Recording by D.B. Weissman (S15-108, R15-325); used by permission. Click on sound bar to hear entire recording.
This sound spectrogram is a 10 s excerpt of the 34 s audio file accessible immediately above. The excerpt begins at 15 s. Click on sound bar to hear graphed song.
Sound spectrogram showing first 4 chirps of 10 s sample above. Click on sound bar to hear graphed song.
Song:
Weissman and Gray (2019) described the song as loud, with 11–17 pulses per chirp and usually <2 chirps per second.
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. Color is variable, from reddish to brown to black.
DNA:
Sister species to G. assimilis and closely related to G. locorojo and G. veintinueve. For more information about DNA testing, see Weissman and Gray (2019).
Similar species:
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.
Range:
Southwestern Arizona, southern California, and the most southern tip of Nevada.
Habitat:
Human maintained lawns, golf courses, schools, and other such habitats as well as fresh and salt water marshes.
Life cycle:
No diapausing stage, possibly making it easy to rear continuously for scientific or commercial purposes.
Season:
Two to three generations per year, found year–round.
Name derivation:
In reference to the high number of pulses per chirp.
