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The Wild Pest
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Crickets & Grasshoppers

The musicians of the bug world. Some sing in tempo to the temperature.

16 on file

On File
A desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) in gregarious yellow-and-black phase.
Outlaw
Six Legs89
Alias
Schistocerca gregaria

Desert Locust

Solitary green bug, until crowded. Then it turns yellow, swarms, and darkens the sky.

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On File
A European mole cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa), tan body with massive shovel-shaped front legs.
Curious
Six Legs80
Alias
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa

European Mole Cricket

Builds an underground trumpet. Sings through it. Calls audible 600 meters away.

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On File
A snowy tree cricket (Oecanthus fultoni), small pale green body on a leaf, long antennae.
Curious
Six Legs70
Alias
Oecanthus fultoni

Snowy Tree Cricket

Count her chirps in 13 seconds, add 40 — that's the temperature in Fahrenheit. To one degree.

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On File
A migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) in gregarious phase, large bright yellow-and-black grasshopper, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs92
Alias
Locusta migratoria

Migratory Locust

Catastrophic crop pest of Africa/Asia/Europe. Foundational PHASE POLYPHENISM case — solitary becomes gregarious.

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On File
A tawny mole cricket (Neoscapteriscus vicinus), large stout tawny-brown cricket with massive shovel-like front legs adapted for burrowing, six legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Neoscapteriscus vicinus

Tawny Mole Cricket

Major invasive turfgrass pest of southeastern US. Foundational classical biological control case study.

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On File
A Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina), grayish-brown grasshopper with cryptic dirt-colored markings, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs75
Alias
Dissosteira carolina

Carolina Grasshopper

Cryptic at rest. Reveals BLACK-AND-WHITE BUTTERFLY-LIKE WINGS in flight. Crackling 'hand-clap' wing sound.

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On File
A differential grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis), large bright yellow body with bold black markings and distinctive herringbone pattern on the hind femora, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs77
Alias
Melanoplus differentialis

Differential Grasshopper

Major NA crop-pest grasshopper. HERRINGBONE-PATTERNED hind legs. Outbreak swarms cause massive crop damage.

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On File
A Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus fuscus), large flightless cricket-like insect with a huge bulging human-like head, large dark eyes, striped abdomen with alternating black-and-tan bands, six legs, side profile.
Curious
Six Legs81
Alias
Stenopelmatus fuscus

Jerusalem Cricket (Potato Bug)

Looks like a 7 cm cricket with a HUMAN-LIKE BULGING head. The 'potato bug' / 'child of the earth'.

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On File
A common true katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia), bright green leaf-mimicking katydid with wings shaped exactly like a fresh oak leaf complete with realistic central veins, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs76
Alias
Pterophylla camellifolia

Common True Katydid

The 'KA-TY-DID, KA-TY-DIDN'T' summer night sound. Wings shaped like a green leaf complete with veins.

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On File
An eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera), large bright-yellow body with bold black markings on the wings, abdomen, and legs, six legs, side profile.
Curious
Six Legs82
Alias
Romalea microptera

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper

Largest grasshopper in southeastern US. Flightless. Foam-producing chemical defense. Mass nymph processions.

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On File
A European field cricket (Gryllus campestris), large glossy black cricket with brownish wing covers and prominent tail filaments, six legs, side profile.
Curious
Six Legs72
Alias
Gryllus campestris

European Field Cricket

The original 'grasshopper' of Aesop's fable. Glossy black. Sings from burrow entrance.

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On File
A house cricket (Acheta domesticus), light brown cricket with darker bands and prominent long antennae, six legs, side profile.
Curious
Six Legs79
Alias
Acheta domesticus

House Cricket

Most globally significant edible insect. Domesticated for food in 30+ countries. Chirp rate = temperature.

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On File
A Wellington tree wētā (Hemideina crassidens), stout brown cricket-like insect with large head and prominent mandibles, six legs and long antennae.
Curious
Six Legs76
Alias
Hemideina crassidens

Wellington Tree Wētā

Male defends a harem of 1-10 females in a tree gallery. Wrestles rivals with enlarged jaws.

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On File
A Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex), large wingless katydid with shield-shaped pronotum, six legs, dorsal view.
Outlaw
Six Legs82
Alias
Anabrus simplex

Mormon Cricket

Wingless katydid that marches in millions across western US rangeland. Saved Utah crops in 1848 by seagulls.

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On File
A cave cricket (Ceuthophilus secretus), humped tan-brown body with extremely long hind legs and very long thin antennae.
Curious
Six Legs74
Alias
Ceuthophilus secretus

Cave Cricket (Spider Cricket)

Jumps AT you when scared because she can't see far. The basement 'spricket.' 250 million years old.

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On File
A wētāpunga (Deinacrida heteracantha), enormous brown cricket-like insect with thick body, six stout legs, and long antennae.
Curious
Six Legs83
Alias
Deinacrida heteracantha

Wētāpunga (Giant Wētā)

Heavier than a sparrow. Endemic to one NZ island. The mammal-substitute insect of an island without mammals.

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