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Field Cricket
(03/21/2008) What kind of cricket would this be??
I heard this fella "barking" like a toad, at least
that's what I thought it was at first, in my backyard under
my landscaping log. When I went to see what it was,
this is what I found. Now I looked online to see if
I could figure out what kind of cricket it is because I've
never seen one like this before and I didn't find an exact
match to determine. Is it male or female?? I thought
it was a female because of the long pointy antennae thing
from the back but all websites indicated that only males make
the chirping noise. It's still there this morning so
I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. Thank
you!!! Kathie
Phoenix, Arizona
Hi Kathie,
This is a common Field Cricket in the genus Gryllus.
You are correct that this is a female as evidenced by the ovipositor, and you are correct
that it is the males that "sing" to court a mate. We can only
conclude that there was a courting male in the area that you
did not see, or that there really was a toad somewhere nearby.
Correction: (04/05/2008) wrongful cricket
sexed.
the field cricket
that you identify here is a male, as you can see with the
scruffle wings. The ovipositor is actually his wings, real
ovipositor is actually longer and have a spear shape head
at the end. http://www.whatsthatbug.com/crickets_2.html
many American gryllus have different wing morphs base on their
habitat. here is an example of wing morphs, hope it can clear
it up. http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/482pwl4.htm
btw i love your site, but the best way to identified cricket
has always been to me scruffle wing since long wings and ovipositor
are always confuse. All american gryllus male have scruffle
wings except for Teleogryllus oceanicus who in hawaii male
have evolve smooth wings to deter predatory flies. how that
helps
Anh Tran
Smashed Mole Cricket in Australia
(02/15/2008) whats this bug.
we found these bugs one night while sitting outside, the fact
that they were there didn't worry us. but what worried us
was the fact that the bugs "watched" us, they turned
there heads around and fully "looked" at us. unfortunately
they were exterminated as there were young children present.
what are these bugs and are they harmful? there were 2 but
ants got them. this one was the most intact
julie greenwood
perth western australia
Hi Julie,
These are the remains of a harmless Mole Cricket. Mole Crickets
have a nearly worldwide distribution. They are omnivorous,
nocturnal, underground dwellers that are sometimes considered
agricultural pests. In an effort to educate the public about
random acts of killing, we have created an Unnecessary
Carnage page in an effort to keep the public from killing
first and asking questions later.
Camel
Cricket
(11/01/2007) Dear Bugman
I looked under your carnage section as I was looking for a
bug I just found in my apartment. I think it is the
camel cricket. I was sitting at my desk fiddling with
my iphone when my girlfriend squeeled and pointed up our 15
ft wall. Near the top was this funky looking critter.
I thought it was a Junebug that had sipped some Philly
style waste and went JuneHulk but I caught it with a paper
and cup and threw it in the street. Anyway, Is my conclusion
that it is a camel cricket correct?
You are correct. This is a Camel Cricket.
Pine Tree Cricket
(09/29/2007) Finding a Pine Tree Cricket hints
Hi Bugman,
I thought some bug lovers would be interested in seeing how
well a Pine Tree Cricket blends in with its habitat. It took
me two visits to find this little tree cricket. Now that
I see how they position themselves on a branch, I'm sure it
will be much easier to find more. This is a 6 foot high ornamental
shrub--the tree cricket was about 5 feet up and about 2 feet
in. I wasn't sure I would even be able to find a Pine
Tree Cricket in Wisconsin---but I finally have. Love
your site,
Nancy Collins Racine (in Southeastern Wisconsin)
Hi Nancy,
Your hints will also apply to other Tree Crickets in the genus
Oecanthus as well as the Pine Tree Cricket, Oecanthus pini.
We located a website
with additional images and information.
Restless Bush Crickets
(06/06/2007) Restless Bush Crickets?
Dear Bugpeople,
I took the enclosed picture of these very cute crickets on
a potted plant along my front walk in suburban Philadelphia.
I believe they are restless bush crickets, though they
seemed pretty placid at the time. The big one on the
left seems to be a female, while the other two seem to be
males. Do you concur? Thanks for maintaining a wonderful website,
John Hufnagel in Upper Darby. PA
Hi John,
Thank you for sending in your wonderful image of correctly
identified Restless Bush Crickets, Hapithus agitator, a new
species for our site. There are many nice images on BugGuide
as well.
Yet
another Mole Cricket from Iraq
(05/24/2007) what is this?
Can you tell me what bug this is? I'm at FOB Warhorse, Iraq
which is a little north of Baghdad. This thing was about as
long as my finger!
-SPC Plucinik
Dear SPC Plucinik,
We have received countless images of Mole Crickets from Iraq.
Though they are found in the U.S. as well, the vast majority
of our images come from the troops in the Middle East.
Mole Cricket from Iraq
(04/27/2007) large iraqi bug
My husband took this picture of a large >2.5 in insect
found in a workspace in Iraq. It appears to be similar to
a Jerusalem cricket. Is that what it is? If you could give
me any information I could send to my husband and his coworkers
(diet, lifecycle, etc), I would appreciate it. Thanks,
Camille
Hi Camille,
We get Mole Cricket inquiries from around the world, and many
from Iraq. Mole Crickets live underground where they eat plant
roots.
Mole Cricket from The Netherlands
(04/23/2007) Potato bug? not sure, please help?
Dear Bugman,
We've found this bug in our garden, it was walking across
the grass in full daylight (good thing, I wouldn't want to
come across it at night! I've browsed your website and it
sort of looks like a potato bug, but this one has two antenna's
at the end, not just one.
It's about 8 cm long. Can you help please? And could you,
if not a potato bug, tell us whether they are harmless to
children or not? Thank you!
ps: we found it in Leiden, The Netherlands (Europe) and I'm
not sure as to whether potato bugs are native here, I sure
never seen them before!
Kind regards,
Anne-Karina van Wilgenburg
Hi Anne-Karina,
This is actually a Mole Cricket. We get images of Mole Crickets
from all over the world, including many from the troops in
the Middle East. Mole Crickets are subterranean, though many
species can fly. They eat roots. They have strong jaws, and
might bite, but the bite contains no poison and is more of
a pinch than anything else.
Yet another Mole Cricket from Iraq
(03/11/2007) Mole cricket??? Strange critter in Iraq
Just got this note and picture from my son in Iraq. I think
it's a mole cricket. Am I right? Thanks!
Barbara
[W]hat on earth is the critter in the attachment? It's about
2 inches long, and it was crawling around the office recently.
It has 6 legs and a jointed exoskeleton. It did not jump,
and it made a "crack" that was clearly audible from
more than 20 feet away when I stepped - not stomped on it.
Hi Barbara,
You are correct. This is a Mole Cricket and we have gotten
numerous submissions from Iraq.
Mole Cricket
(01/09/2007) Another bug from Perth WA
This bug was found in our house in the Perth Hills. It has
scoop-like front "claws", wings, and a very large
head. It looks a little like our "sandgropers" but
it is darker and they are subterranean. It's quite large,
maybe 40-50mm long. We would appreciate any information you
can give us as it looks quite alien.
Thanks
Amy and Erryn
PS Sorry about the photos they're not our strong suit.
Hi Amy and Erryn,
This is a Mole Cricket. Mole Crickets are in the family Gryllotalpidae.
They tunnel underground and are most common in moist soil.
Camel Cricket Carnage
(11/25/2006) Help !!
Dear Bugman,
Here are a few pics of the bugs I would like to have identified,
We live in NJ and have no basement. The bugs started to appear
about a day or two after we opened a carton with a new bed
frame in it. ( Maybe just coincidence )So far there have been
about 10 of the critters, none for a few days now. I would
like to know if possible what it is and where it came from.
My closest guess it is some sort of cricket although it did
not make any sounds as crickets usually do. Thanks for you
anticipated help.
Arnie G
Hi Arnie,
This is a Camel Cricket or Cave Cricket. They are frequently
found in basements as they like damp dark places. As your
home has no basement, and since you did just have a carton
delivered, it is possible that the crickets entered the carton
at the storage facility. They are benign creatures that often
startle homemakers when they are found in numbers in basements,
bathrooms, garages, sheds and other favorable habitats.
Camel Cricket
(11/11/2006) Camel Cricket/Cave Cricket?
I just wanted to shoot over a few pictures of a cave/camel
cricket I found in my basement. Thank you for helping me ID
this guy. Is it true that he eats spiders, ants, and roaches?
Vince
Philadelphia, PA
 
Hi Vince,
Camel Crickets are generally thought to be scavengers rather
than predators, hence they would eat dead spiders, ants and
roaches.
Mole Cricket
(11/08/2006) Brown flying insect
I found this bug crawling around my garage tonight and had
to take a picture of it. I tried for about 2 hours online
trying to find out what it is to no avail. It ran pretty fast
and did not hop at all or make any noises when i caught it.
I hope you can help me identify this.
Hi Doug,
Mole Crickets are subterranean burrowers and many species
can fly quite well. We get requests for identifications from
many parts of the world, and our troops in Iraq frequently
send us photos of Mole Crickets.
Mole Cricket
(11/03/2006) I found this in my pool
I found this bug in my pool skimmer but I saw another just
like it swimming in my pool today. When I came out with my
camera it was gone. I couldn't find one like it on your site.
It's a very good swimmer. It has 6 legs, but uses 4 of them
for swimming. Does it bite? Where does it live? Should I be
worried?
Brett Hufziger
Hi Brett,
This is a Mole Cricket, and its habitat does not include your
swimming pool. It is a subterranean dweller that is probably
leaving its burrows, perhaps because of rain, and wandering
on the surface. In its surface wanderings, it and its brethren
are stumbling into your pool and are unable to get out, with
drowning as the ultimate outcome. Mole Crickets have chewing
mouthparts and might deliver a slight nip, but we would hardly
consider that a bite.
Mole Cricket from Iraq
(10/26/2006) Captured this guy in Iraq
We captured this guy one night in Iraq after he flew into
our room. Nobody knew what it was or had even seen it before,
even the few locals we had with us were clueless. Our best
guess was maybe some giant termite.
Scott
Hi Scott,
If it is not an animatronic spy in the guise of a Mole Cricket,
it is the real thing. Mole Crickets are not true crickets,
and they live underground. They use their powerful front legs
to dig. They are found in many parts of the world including
the U.S. This is at least the fourth image of a Mole Cricket
we have received from Iraq.
(10/27/2006) Mole crickets in Iraq
This is more of a comment. I have seen a few of the mole crickets
around here in Baghdad. I actually killed one tonight and
took a picture to try to find it online. Well, the guy who's
camera I borrowed saw the pic and told me what it was. He's
from Florida and said the are all over down there. Just to
be sure, I still searched online and came accross your site.
Yep, he was right. You will probably see more pics from Iraq
inthe coming months. Since they normally live underground,
I believe because we are begining the rainy season here, the
water and mud are causing them to come top side more. I do
have to agree with a lot of people though, it does look like
a hybrid species (head of a crawfish and the body of a cricket).
But at least now I know the aren't poisonous. Now I can have
my fun, let the pranks begin! BTW this site is too cool.
Stuck in Iraq
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