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Morphological description of the house cricket (Acheta domesticus Linnaeus, 1758; Orthoptera: Gryllidae) egg in captivity

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Abstract

The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is a nutrient-rich insect that can be mass-produced for food to bridge the nutritional gap of human food. Good knowledge of the different developmental stages is crucial for the success of its farming. This study is therefore aimed at understanding the morphological changes of house cricket egg, first stage of the development cycle, but unfortunately little studied. To achieve this, 92 eggs were observed, measured and described in the laboratory. Measurements were taken from day one old to hatching. Six days after oviposition, the outer chorion degradation had started. From ten days, the translucent chorion was visible, revealing the eyes of the embryo as well as bilateral symmetry. An advanced pigmentation, metamerism and the presence of cerci were then observed on day twelve (12). The incubation time for this elongated egg was sixteen (16) days. During this period, variations in egg length (2.53 ± 0.10 mm to 3.32 ± 0.24 mm) and width (0.75 ± 0 mm to 0.99 ± 0.04 mm) were recorded. As for the volume, a variation of 0.66 ± 0.03 mm3 to 1.92 ± 0.23 mm3 was noted. Egg length, width and volume increased slowly from 1 to 4 days. This increase was somewhat faster from 4 to 8 days before reaching a plateau until hatching. A variation in the egg aspect ratio from 3.38 ± 0.14 to 3.36 ± 0.24 was then noted throughout development. The results of the present study could form a basis for successful breeding of this insect.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Côte d’Ivoire for a quarterly research bonus granted which made this research possible.

We are grateful to Doctor Véronique Martel, Scientific Researcher for Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre for all the corrections made to the article as well as for the improvement of the translated version in English.

We are also grateful to Doctor Dr. Namikoye E. Samita, Lecturer, Kenyatta University Nairobi, Kenya, Department of Agricultural Science & Technology for the improvement of the English version of the article.

Funding

This research has been made possible thanks to a quarterly research bonus granted by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Côte d’Ivoire.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Training Unit of Biological Sciences, Department of Animal Biology, University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly, Po Box 1328, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire

    Bleu Gondo Douan

  2. Research and Training Unit of the Nature Sciences, University Nangui Abrogoua, 02 Po Box 801, Abidjan, 02, Côte d’Ivoire

    Mamadou Doumbia, Koffi Eric Kwadjo & Kouadio Dagobert Kra

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  1. Bleu Gondo Douan
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  2. Mamadou Doumbia
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  3. Koffi Eric Kwadjo
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  4. Kouadio Dagobert Kra
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Correspondence to Bleu Gondo Douan.

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Douan, B.G., Doumbia, M., Kwadjo, K.E. et al. Morphological description of the house cricket (Acheta domesticus Linnaeus, 1758; Orthoptera: Gryllidae) egg in captivity. Int J Trop Insect Sci 41, 1961–1967 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-020-00338-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-020-00338-x

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