Cricket (insect)
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Crickets, family Gryllidae (also known as "true crickets"), are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets (order Orthoptera). They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae.
Crickets are known for their chirp (which only male crickets can do; male wings have ridges that act like a "comb and file" instrument). The left forewing has a rib(modified vein) which bears a number of minute teeth. They chirp by rubbing their left forewing against the hind edge of the right forwing. This sound producing action is (called "stridulation"), and the song is species-specific. There are two types of cricket songs: a calling song and a courting song. The calling song attracts females and repels other males, and is fairly loud. The courting song is used when a female cricket is near, and is a very quiet song. Female crickets have a long needlelike egg-laying organ (ovipositor).
Crickets chirp at different rates depending both on their species and the temperature of their environment. Most species chirp at higher rates the higher the temperature is (approx. 60 chirps a minute at 13ºC in one common species; each species has its own rate). The relationship between temperature and the rate of chirping is known as Dolbear's Law.
Worldwide there are about 900 known species of crickets. Crickets tend to be nocturnal and are often confused with grasshoppers (which are related, but not the same), because they have a similar body structure including jumping hind legs.
In 1970, Dr. William H. Cade discovered that the parasitic tachinid fly Ormia ochracea is attracted to the song of the male cricket, and uses it to locate the male in order to deposit her larvae on him. It was the first example of a natural enemy that locates its host or prey using the mating signal. Since then, many species of crickets have been found to be carrying the same parasitic fly, or related species.
Crickets are popular pets and are considered good luck in Asia, especially China. It is also common to have them as caged pets in some European countries, at least in the Iberian Peninsula. Cricket fighting as a blood sport has also been popular, particularly in Macao.
They may be eaten in some cultures and are popular as live food for carnivorous pets.
Taxonomy
Subfamilies of the family Gryllidae:
- Eneopterinae —
- Gryllinae — common or field crickets; brown or black; despite the name, some of them enter houses (e.g. Acheta domesticus, the house cricket)
- Nemobiinae — ground crickets
- Oecanthinae — tree crickets; usually green with broad, transparent wings; frequent trees and shrubs.
- Phalangopsinae
- Podoscirtinae — anomalous crickets
- Pteroplistinae
- Trigonidiinae — sword-tail crickets
- Mogoplistidae — scaly crickets
- Myrmecophilidae — ant crickets
- Mole crickets
- Tettigoniidae - katydids or bush crickets
- Cave crickets (also called camel crickets)
- Sand crickets
- Mormon crickets
- Weta crickets
- Jerusalem crickets
- Parktown prawns
External links
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