A ZONE OF OVERLAP AND HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN TWO GROUND CRICKET SPECIES

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Abstract
In this paper I describe a zone of overlap and hybridization between the ground crickets, Allonemobius fasciatus and A. socius (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). The former occurs in the northeastern United States, the latter is found in the southeastern United States. They meet in a contact zone of variable width that extends from the East Coast to at least Ohio. In the Allegheny Mountains, where appropriate habitats for a species adapted to a northern climate and a species adapted to a southern climate are patchily distributed and widely intermingled, the zone is broad-at least 200 km. Along the coastal plain of New Jersey, where appropriate habitats are not as widely intermingled, the zone is comparatively narrow (5–100 km). Levels of hybridization were assessed by analyzing electrophoretic data, using population genetic models and a character index approach. Both methods of data analysis agreed—where the zone is broader, levels of hybridization appear reduced.
Funding Information
  • Sigma Xi
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Science Foundation (DEB‐7811188)