Characteristics

• Medium size (typically 15 to 25 mm)
• Stout, dark body (black, brown), sometimes glossy
• Hardened wings in males, smaller or absent in females
• Long and thin antennae, often longer than the body
• Powerful hind legs for jumping
• Clearly visible ovipositor in females (straight or slightly curved)

Habitat

Gryllidae are found in:

• Dry grasslands, fallows, natural meadows
• Burrows in loose or sandy soil
• Path edges, clearings, dunes
• Urban or peri-urban areas (house cricket)

Biology

• Nocturnal or crepuscular
• Male song produced by rubbing the elytra (stridulation)
• The song varies by purpose: calling, rivalry, mating
• Females are attracted by the male’s song
• Eggs laid in soil, hemimetabolous development
• Nymphs resemble adults but lack wings

Common genera

• Gryllus – Field cricket (Gryllus campestris): black, lives in burrows, sings in spring
• Acheta – House cricket (Acheta domesticus): paler, sometimes introduced to wild
• Nemobius, Eneoptera – Smaller or forest crickets

Particularities

• The song is species-specific and plays a key role in reproduction
• Species are sensitive to habitat management (late mowing, minimal disturbance)
• Crickets are good indicators of dry grassland naturalness
• Some species are used as reptile food or bred in captivity

To be defined

possibly Teleogryllus derelictus

Photographed in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Genus Gryllus

Gryllus campestris

Genus Nemobius

Nemobius sylvestris