Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Gryllidae Members: NC Records

Falcicula hebardi Rehn, 1903 - Hebard's Trig

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Taxonomy
Family: Gryllidae Subfamily: Trigonidiinae Tribe: Trigonidiini
Comments: This is the sole member of its genus and is restricted to eastern North America (Cigliano et al., 2018); it is closely allied to Anaxipha, particularly the clade that includes the Exigua and Delicatula Species Groups, raising questions about the monophyly of Anaxipha (Walker and Funk, 2014)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: SINA, BugGuide, Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIFTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Rehn 1907); Blatchley (1920)SINA 646a.htm                                                                                  
Comments: A very small brown Trig, smaller than the smallest members of Anaxipha (Walker and Funk, 2014), with only Myrmecophilus being smaller among our Orthoptera. The head and body are wood brown, with the head lines with yellowish. The tegmina are yellowish brown and the eyes are dark brown (Rehn, 1903). Species of Anaxipha are similar in appearance but differ mainly in terms of their greater development of the stridulatory apparatus and accompanying veins of the tegmina, which are reduced and altered in Falcicula (Rehn, 1903).
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 4 mm, males, 5 mm, females (Rehn, 1903)
Structural Features: The front tibiae in both sexes lack a tympanum and males have a greatly reduced stridulatory apparatus, occupying only the basal one fourth of the tegmina (Blatchley, 1920). Hindwings are absent.
Singing Behavior: Males stridulate weakly when interacting with females but may not produce an advertising call audible over more than a few meters (Spooner, 1972).
Nymphal Stages and Development: According to Rehn and Hebard (1905): "he immature individuals are considerably darker and more wine-colored than the adults, and are longitudinally striped with dark brown which gives them a rather peculiar appearance.
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)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Unlike other Trigs, this species is found on the ground, often blending in with pine needles, or in grasss and other low, herbaceous vegetation. Rehn and Hebard (1905, 1916) report it as abundant in dry wiregrass and pine needles in Longleaf Pine forests; also in grasses in other types of pine woodlands.
Diet: Unknown but possibly omnivorous
Observation Methods: Unlikely to be detected by ear; probably best found by flushing them by walking through their habitat
Abundance/Frequency: Rehn and Hebard (1916a) report this species as locally abundant
Adult Phenology: Our records come mainly from July
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] [SU]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments: All of our records for this species are historic and current information on the distribution, abundance, and habitat associations for this species needs to be obtained before the conservation status can be determined.