Patterns of fecundity and age class distribution of rhaphidophorid "camel crickets" (Ceuthophilus longipes and C. carlsbadensis) from Carlsbad Cavern

Patterns of fecundity of the two existing Ceuthophilus spp. from three sites in Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico, were examined in pitfall-trapped specimens. Females of C. longipes, a cave specialist, contained significantly larger and fewer eggs than did the less cave-specialized species, C. carlsbadensis. Overall, no seasonal pattern of fecundity in females of either species was discerned. In the two sites influenced by light and some level of imported food, the dominant species was C. carlsbadensis. In the more isolated site (Sand Passage) the dominant species was C. longipes. Pitfall-trap catches of different age classes in both species varied independently over time in the three sites. A relatively consistent pattern of seasonal abundance (high in spring and summer) occurred only in adult C. longipes in Sand Passage. Possible explanations for these patterns are discussed.