No one knows where this mysterious cricket normally resides and how it lives. Only when the volcanic eruption has just stopped for a few months, when the lava layer begins to cool, they suddenly appear.
The people of Hawaii, a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean, have long known of the existence of these lava crickets that disappear like ghosts. Every volcanic eruption, on empty ground without a single resurrection of life, is present. But when the first herb sprouted, it suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Pioneer house that settles in the world of coal ash that has just cooled
In 2018, after nearly 100 years of silence, Hawaii’s Kilauea suddenly exploded, throwing columns of ash and smoke up to 9 km high, overflowing lava cascades engulfing fields, houses, roads. , even a boat station.
It took several months, the flow of red molten lava gradually cooled, exposing the ruined, dark, lifeless scene. But along with the lava crickets – Hawaii’s charming little “resident”, the dead world is the most ideal home.
They hurriedly moved in, becoming the first multicellular life present in the midst of destruction. “Wherever there is volcanic lava that has just cooled, there are lava crickets” – Marlene Zuk, entomologist at the University of Minnesota in St. Petersburg Paul, USA confirmed.
The scientific name for the lava cricket is Caconemobius fori. They are one of 15 subspecies of Caconemobius, the chicken coop scattered along the Pacific coast and in the Hawaiian Islands.
While most of the Caconemobius cricket subspecies are found under rocks on beaches, Caconemobius fori only appeared suddenly after a volcanic eruption.
And then they suddenly disappeared clean, leaving no trace to be detected.
Eat rotten plants and drink sponges
It wasn’t until 1978 that crickets preferred to live in these new, fresh lava fields that scientists confirmed and named them.
In the scorched earth, they patiently gnawed away blown dead plants, trapped in lava crevices, and drank sponges. According to the analysis, the sponge contains a protein compound called albumen (egg white). They provide important nutrients for crickets to grow well.
There are 2 major advantages for the lava cricket house in the medium cooling lava field, the wide survival range and no food competition. During the day they hide in the dark lava crevices, they go out quietly at night to eat.
After the volcanic eruption of Kilauea last year, Zuk immediately realized a unique opportunity to immerse himself in this mysterious species of cricket. She quickly set out for Hawaii, because “when the grass grows, it’s too late”.
Intrinsically, the strength of the insect house lies in its wings. Thanks to the wings, they are easy to move and make a mating call sound. Strangely, lava crickets, crickets that live in the harshest environments do not have wings. Of course, they also can’t steal or flirt with each other.
Mating like … suicide
Although so far scientists still don’t know how lava crickets attract enemies, but have observed the most frightening mating behavior. By doing … this, the female lava cricket will bite the male’s leg, quietly sucking the blood (actually the hemolin juice, as the insect has not yet developed the so-called blood).
After intercourse, male crickets can lose 3-8% of their body weight. The weather in the new lava region is cool, dry, and hot, so having to swap such valuable fluid is a big gamble.
“Usually when we talk about cocoons in the natural world, we often see that it is the woman who has the choice,” said Jeremy Marshall, entomologist at Kansas State University in Manhattan. “But in the event that mating is dangerous for the male, the order of choice is reversed.”
But if the Lava family followed this “common sense”, we still don’t know. Currently, scientists still have no confirmation. They didn’t even find a chemical signal between male and female lava crickets. It is not known whether they like to gather in groups or live separately.
However, in this “launch”, Marlene Zuk was determined to unravel all mysteries. She also plans to catch some gravid lava crickets and feed them in the lab, so she can search for them carefully. We can therefore count on the efforts of Zuk and other supporting researchers.
