DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61h2
title: Data from: Reproductive biology of Hawaiian lava crickets

description: Insects have spread across diverse ecological niches, including extreme
 environments requiring specialized traits for survival. However, little is
 understood about the reproductive traits required to facilitate
 persistence in such environments. Here, we report on the reproductive
 biology of two species of endemic Hawaiian lava crickets (Caconemobius
 fori and Caconemobius anahulu) that inhabit barren lava flows on the Big
 Island. We examine traits that reflect investment into reproduction for
 both male and female lava crickets and compare them to the
 non-extremophile Allard’s ground cricket (Allonemobius allardi) in the
 same sub-family. Lava cricket females possessed fewer, but much larger
 eggs than ground crickets, while males do not provide the costly nuptial
 gifts that are characteristic of the Nemobiinae subfamily. Lava crickets
 also have longer ovipositors relative to their body length than related
 Caconemobius species that occupy cave habitats on the Hawaiian islands.
 The differences in reproduction we report reveal how these little-known
 cricket species can increase the survival of their offspring in
 the resource-deprived conditions of their hot, dry environments.
description: # Lava Cricket Reproduction
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61h2](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61h2) ## Description of the data and file structure There are 3 .csv files with data from this work. Each line represents a single individual. The data contains measurements of pronotum length, ovipositor lengths, egg number, and egg sizes for female lava crickets (*Caconemobius fori*, *Caconemobius anahulu*) and Allard’s ground crickets (*Allonemobius allardi*). It also has data on the presence or absence of the specialized tibial spur on male and female crickets of the above species. Each line represents a single individual. 'NA' in each sheet represents the absence of relevant data for that cell. Statistical analysis and graphing to produce results and figures in the paper were obtained by running the script in the file "lava_cricket_dataanalysis.R." ## File titled "spur_lava_cricket_data.csv": ### Variables: * SampleNumber - identifying number where the letters represent species and sex (CF - *C. fori*/ CA - *C. anahulu*/ AA- *A. allardi*) and (M = male, F = female) * CollectionDate – date (mm/dd/yyyy) of collection of individual * RightTibialSpur – whether or not specialized tibial spur was present on right leg (Y/N) * LeftTibialSpur – whether or not specialized tibial spur was present on left leg (Y/N) * Notes - extra comments about individuals ## File titled "egg_ovipositor_lava_cricket_data.csv": ### Variables: * ID – identifying number where the letters represent species/collection areas (A – *A. allardi*, K – Kona, V – Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, CFF – *Caconemobius fori* female) * Species – Species name (*C. fori*/*C. anahulu*/*A. allardi*) * Sex – sex of individual (M = male, F = female) * DateMeasured – date (mm/dd/yyyy) that dissection and measurements were performed * DissectedBy – ID of researcher who performed the dissections (AT/JHK) * PronotumLength – body size (measured as pronotum width in mm) at time of measurement * OvipositorLength – ovipositor length (measured in mm) at time of measurement * NumberEgg – number of eggs found in female body cavity * E1Length – egg length (measured in mm) of first egg. Similar measurements taken for E2 – E10 in the next columns * E1Width – egg width (measured in mm) of first egg. Similar measurements taken for E2 – E10 in the next columns * comments – extra comments about eggs/ individuals ## File titled "egg_volume_lava_cricket_data.csv": ### Variables: Column names same as above * E1Vol – volume of egg calculated from E1Length and E1Width using volume of a ellipsoid formula * AverageVolume10 – average volume of all 10 eggs/number of eggs that we could calculate volume from * ReproductiveOutput – Number of eggs multiplied by Average Volume of eggs to calculate and estimate of reproductive output of each individual.