Gryllus pennsylvanicus
Encyclopedia
Gryllus pennsylvanicus is one of many cricket species known as the field cricket
. It occurs throughout eastern North America
, including southern Canada.
are longer than the head and prothorax, the wings do not extend past the cerci. Young individuals can be confused for the smaller species of cricket (Nemobius fasciatus) because of the similar body shape and coloration.
Adults are mostly active during night where the males sing to attract females. Females will then lay their eggs by injecting their ovipositor into soil. A single female will lay around 50 eggs at a time and can lay well over 400 eggs in her life span, there are roughly 3 generations a year. In the fall the eggs will overwinter and hatch in the spring.
Recorded food plants of G. pennsylvanicus include smooth crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum
), lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album
), English plantain (Plantago lanceolata
), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia
) and chicory (Cichorium intybus). They also feed upon various types of seed which can make them both a pest and a biological help. Not only do they feed on plants but also small insects such as juvenile Differential grasshoppers (Melanoplus differentialis) and have been found to cannibalize their young. Even though they are a sizable cricket for North America
they are preyed upon by everything from hawks to hornets.
and most of the United States
and even into parts of northern Mexico
. It tends to be absent in most of the southwestern United States
including southern California
. Within its range this field cricket will burrow into soil in fields and forest edges. Sometimes as winter approaches adults will find their way into houses where they will attempt to overwinter. Also, while not displayed on the distribution map, G. pennsylvanicus can be readily found in the southeastern United States, and is a common sight (and sound) as far as the Florida Keys
.
Field cricket
Field crickets are insects of order Orthoptera. These crickets are in subfamily Gryllinae of family Gryllidae.They hatch in spring, and the young crickets eat and grow rapidly. They shed their skin eight or more times before they become adults.Field crickets eat a broad range of feeds: seeds,...
. It occurs throughout eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, including southern Canada.
Identification
Adults reach 15–25 mm (0.590551181102362–0.984251968503937 ) and the coloration ranges from dark black to dark brown, some specimens show a slight reddish tint. The black antennae tend to be longer than the body span of the species. The cerciCercus
Cerci are paired appendages on the rear-most segments of many arthropods, including insects and arachnids but not crustaceans. Cerci often serve as sensory organs, but they may also be used as weapons or copulation aids, or they may simply be vestigial structures.Typical cerci may appear to be...
are longer than the head and prothorax, the wings do not extend past the cerci. Young individuals can be confused for the smaller species of cricket (Nemobius fasciatus) because of the similar body shape and coloration.
Life cycle
Recorded food plants of G. pennsylvanicus include smooth crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum
Digitaria ischaemum
Digitaria ischaemum is a species of crabgrass known by the common names smooth crabgrass and small crabgrass. It is native to Europe and Asia, but it is known throughout much of the warm temperate world as an introduced species and often a common roadside and garden weed...
), lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album
Chenopodium album
Chenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium.Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed...
), English plantain (Plantago lanceolata
Plantago lanceolata
Plantago lanceolata is a species of genus Plantago known by the common names ribwort plantain, English plantain, and narrowleaf plantain. It is a common weed of cultivated land....
), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Common Ragweed, is the most widespread plant of the genus Ambrosia in North America. It has also been called Annual Ragweed, Bitterweed, Blackweed, Carrot Weed, Hay Fever Weed, Roman Wormwood, Stammerwort, Stickweed, Tassel Weed, and American Wormwood...
) and chicory (Cichorium intybus). They also feed upon various types of seed which can make them both a pest and a biological help. Not only do they feed on plants but also small insects such as juvenile Differential grasshoppers (Melanoplus differentialis) and have been found to cannibalize their young. Even though they are a sizable cricket for North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
they are preyed upon by everything from hawks to hornets.
Range and habitat
G. pennsylvanicus can be found throughout southern CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and most of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and even into parts of northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It tends to be absent in most of the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
including southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Within its range this field cricket will burrow into soil in fields and forest edges. Sometimes as winter approaches adults will find their way into houses where they will attempt to overwinter. Also, while not displayed on the distribution map, G. pennsylvanicus can be readily found in the southeastern United States, and is a common sight (and sound) as far as the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
.