Post-embryonic development of circadian rhythm in the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus: A rhythm reversal

Locomotor activity of the male cricket Gryllus bimaculatus DeGeer was recorded from the 7th or last (8th) instar nymph. The nymph showed a diurnal rhythm (nymphal rhythm = NR), while the adult, on the contrary, was nocturnal (adult rhythm = AR) (Fig. 1). This rhythm reversal occurred suddenly 3 to 5 days after the imaginal molt, almost simultaneously with the first spermatophore formation and the start of stridulation (calling song) (Fig. 2). In addition to the antiphase relationship, both rhythms also differed in the freerunning period (tau) and wave form. Tau_scdd was significantly longer in NR (24.33 h) than in AR (23.91 h) (Fig. 3). AR was characterized by a sharp activity peak in each cycle, which NR, however, lacked (Fig. 1, 3, 6). On the basis of these differences, two possibilities are discussed; one is that NR and AR are separate oscillations and the other is that both are coupled to different phase points of one oscillation.