Crickets

Order: Orthoptera (crickets, grasshoppers, katydids, etc.)

Family: Gryllidae

How to identify:

As with most insects, crickets have six legs and four wings. In NJ, crickets are usually dark brown, black, or beige. They have long, strong back legs for jumping, long antennae that are sometimes longer than their bodies, and typically grow ¾ to 1 inch long (Borror & White, 1998).

Crickets are often mistaken for grasshoppers or katydids. While antenna length varies greatly in grasshoppers, some common ones to NJ have short antennae, tend to be bigger than crickets, and are commonly green or brown. Grasshopper wings are held tent-like over the back, so they come to a point (especially in the back beyond the abdomen). Katydid species in NJ are bright green, have antennae longer than their bodies, longer legs, and their wings are held tent-like high over their backs (Borror & White, 1998).

Advanced ID: Antennae are slender and usually as long as or longer than body. Tympana present on base of front tibia. Body flattened, tarsi 3-segmented, and ovipositor usually long and cylindrical. Long and feeler-like cerci; wings usually flat over back. Forewing of females: thickened & leathery. Forewing of males; large membranous areas and often wider (Borror & White, 1998).

Ecology

Metamorphosis Type: Simple metamorphosis. Nymphs (between the egg and adult stages) are wingless and look like small versions of adult crickets.

Geographic Range: Crickets are found on all continents except Antarctica. There are more than 120 species in the United States alone (Renico,2019).

Habitat: Crickets are generalists and live in many habitats- forests, grasslands, wetlands, caves, beaches underground and even in human homes!

Trophic Level: Omnivores

Food: Crickets are generalists and will eat a broad range of food- plants, seeds, and other insects. They use their mandibles (strong, movable mouthparts) to tear food into smaller pieces. 

Why should we care?

Human Uses: Crickets help break down plant and animal material and in the process help to renew minerals in soil; they are also an important food source for other animals. Some cultures even consider crickets a delicacy!

Conservation Status: As of today, house crickets are classified as “Not Endangered” according to the IUCN (Kidadl,2021).

Did you know?

• Male crickets are well-known to “sing” by rubbing their wings together in an attempt to court females.

Researcher’s Biography

Guillermo Gonzalez
Completed this research within Dr. Shelly Thomas’ Entomology course

Suggested Citation:

Gonzalez, Guillermo. (2022). Crickets. Rowan University Arboretum. https://arboretum.rowan.edu/learn/explore-insects/crickets/