Crops > Vegetables > Crucifers > Head cabbage > Teleogryllus oceanicus, Vanuatu
Crops VegetablesCrucifersHead cabbageTeleogryllus oceanicus, Vanuatu
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| May 2007. The insect illustrated was reported chewing the inner part of the leaves of head cabbage at a commercial grower’s farm in Port Vila, Vanuatu. It was thought quite strange for a locust to be damaging the inner parts of the leaves. The farmer has tried to spray the cabbages with insecticides without promising results. Can somebody gives us an identification of the pest and possible ways of controlling it.
Teleogryllus oceanicus, the ocean cricket, was tentatively identified. This can be confirmed by going out in the field and listening to its song after dark. It has a very unique, two part call. There are a couple of recordings available on the Cook Islands Biodiversity website:
cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/species.asp
There is also an interesting Wikipedia article on this species at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleogryllus_oceanicus
According to this article, 90% of the male T oceanicus crickets on Kauai have lost the ability to call because of selective pressure from a parasitic fly which locates its prey acoustically.
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