Black Field Cricket
Click to enlarge image
© CC BY-NC-SA
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Teleogryllus
- Species
- commodus
- Subfamily
- Gryllinae
- Family
- Gryllidae
- Order
- Orthoptera
- Phylum
- Arthopoda
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- 2-4 cm
Introduction
The Black Field Cricket is the most common cricket in Australia and is often encountered in suburban yards of Sydney.
Identification
The Black Field Cricket is jet black, but is generally heard rather than seen.
Habitat
The Black Field Cricket lives in urban areas, forests and heath.
Distribution
The Black Field Cricket is found throughout Australia.
Other behaviours and adaptations
During the day, the Black Field Cricket hides in vegetation or cracks in the soil and at night it emerges to feed on decaying plant material and insect remains.
Communication
The Black Field Cricket has a complex song. It is able to amplify its call to sound as if it is coming from somewhere else. Like other crickets, singing occurs at night, and the sound is produced by the male rubbing his wings together.
Life history cycle
The Black Field Cricket has a life span of only a few months and during this time the female lays about 2,000 eggs.
