Ask Dr. Bug!
Jerusalem Crickets
Photo (c) Charles Hogue
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Jerusaleum Crickets |
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Introduction
By far, the most requested (95-99%) bug identification I perform is for Jerusalem Crickets. In winter, I receive 1-10 requests per day!
If you find one, please keep it alive and contact Dr. David Weissman (gryllus1@juno.com). He is studying them and needs living & non-living intact specimens. Please include your location: country, state, county, & nearest city. If he doesn't need your specimen, then he'll ask you to release it in a safe place where no one is likely to harm it.
If you are asked to ship it to Dr. Weissman, click here to get shipping directions.
Here is a quick list of tidbits about this fascinating insect. Some of these are based on answers to questions I have received.
- Other names include: Potato Bugs, Niñas de la Tierra (Spanish for "Children of the Earth"), Chacos, Wó see ts'inii (Navajo for "skull insect" or "bone neck beetle").
- They are very common in southern California.
- They live underground and eat roots.
- They are native to North and Central America
- They are not pests.
- They can bite with their powerful jaws.
- They have no stinger. They are not poisonous.
- They are not wingless bees.
- They live one to two years as adults.
- They are sometimes found dead in swimming pools and ponded waters. This is either the result of a simple drowning or a parasite infection. The horsehair worm (Gordius spp. or Paragordius spp.) can inhabit the jerusalem cricket's gut and feed. The worm can alter the behavior of the cricket and force it to seek water. Once in water, the worm bursts through the insect's abdomen and seeks a mate. The cricket dies from the wound. I have found them in ponds at O'Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon (1980's) and at Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary (2002). In 2002, a reader from Santa Barbara, CA, sent me a horsehair worm and jerusalem cricket he found in his swimming pool!
- If you find a Jerusalem cricket, please keep it alive and contact Dr. David Weissman (gryllus1@juno.com).
New to Science
Dr. Weissman has studied these insects for over 20 years and has found several undescribed species of them. A large and striking example is the Mahogany Jerusalem Cricket, from the Santa Ana Mountains in southern Orange County, CA (pictured below). Note the mahogany-colored legs (legs of other species are light brown), all-brown abdomen (other species are black and white striped), and large size (body length nearly 3.5 inches long). Photo (c) BugBug (Bob Allen).
Distribution
They are native to the western half of the United States and south throughout Mexico. To date, I have received reports of it from Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. Reports from Mexico are rare but the insects do live there. Some reports have been sent from Mexico City. We need reports and specimens from all of these locations!
Reader Reports
Many fine folks have written to tell me where they have found Jerusalem Crickets (see paragraph above). I enjoy getting them and encourage you to report yours. When I get the time, I'll post a distribution map.
If you have current information that you would like to share, especially to tell me where you have found them recently (country, state, county, & city), please drop me a line.
References
For more information, consult the following reference:
- Hogue, C.L. 1993. Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, second edition. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, L.A., CA.
- Consult your library or click on a link to find it at Amazon.com: ISBN: 0-938644-29-7 (softcover); ISBN: 0-938644-32-7 (hardcover). See pages 48-49, 80-82.