干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The current distribution (2009) and survey methodologies are provided for detecting the Coachella Valley Jerusalem Cricket (Stenopelmotus caludinensis Tinkham 1968). When several survey methodologies arc assessed, we found that, in the absence of debris, the use of cover-boards and the examination of areas beneath cow manure pats (cow chips) to be the most efficient and least destructive ways of detecting this rare and unique desert species. When using these methods we were able to establish the current distribution of the insect and compare it to historical records. The present distribution of the cricket suggests that it is currently undergoing a westward movement in its range as well as an overall range contraction possibly as a result of climate change.