Everything about Jerusalem Cricket totally explained
Jerusalem crickets (
genus Stenopelmatus) are a group of large (body length up to 69mm), flightless
insects native to the
western United States, along the
Pacific Coast, and south into
Mexico. Because of their large,
human-like head, they're commonly called
niño de la tierra (
Spanish for "child of the earth"),
Earth baby,
cara de niño (
Spanish for "child's face"),
wó see ts'inii (
Navajo for "skull insect"), or
old bald-headed man. They are also often called
potato bugs.
Despite their name, Jerusalem crickets are neither true
crickets nor
true bugs and they don't prefer
potatoes for food. Active only at night, the insects use their strong
mandibles to feed primarily on dead
organic material but can also eat other insects. Their highly adapted feet are used for burrowing beneath moist soil to feed on decaying root plants and
tubers.
Classification
There are a few other genera in the family Stenopelmatidae, that occur in other parts of the world, but these are very similar to
Stenopelmatus in most respects.
Song
| Similar to true crickets, each species of Jerusalem cricket produces a different song during mating, but this "song" takes the form of a characteristic drumming in which the insect beats its abdomen against the ground. |
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Most species have no sound-producing structures, and evidently none have structures they could use to hear audible sound (true crickets use their wings to produce sounds, but
Stenopelmatus lack wings, and crickets and katydids have membranous "ears" they use to hear) - they don't even seem to be able to hiss by forcing air through their
spiracles, as some
beetles and
cockroaches do. Instead, the few Jerusalem crickets which do make audible sound rub their hind legs against the sides of the abdomen, which produces a rasping, "hissing" noise; this rasping noise appears to be designed to frighten predators, rather than being used in communication between the crickets themselves. For such purposes, Jerusalem crickets apparently rely exclusively on substrate vibrations, which are felt rather than heard.
Common Myths
As is true for other large, "ugly" arthropods (for example
solfugids), there are a number of folk tales regarding Jerusalem crickets which are simply untrue; first and foremost, they're not
venomous. However, they can emit a foul smell and are capable of inflicting a painful bite - but neither is lethal, as some of the tales would suggest. They also don't cry like children, nor rub their legs together to make sounds.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Jerusalem Cricket'.
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