Illawarra Raspy Cricket
Scientific name: Apotrechus illawarra
Introduction
All members of this large group of crickets have a mechanism that produces a raspy sound, which they may use as a defence when disturbed.
Identification
The Illawarra Raspy Cricket is wingless and spends the day in burrows constructed of sand and silk.
Habitat
The Illawarra Raspy Cricket lives in forests and woodlands, and heath.
Distribution
The Illawarra Raspy Cricket is found in coastal New South Wales.
Other behaviours and adaptations
The Illawarra Raspy Cricket can produce silk at all stages of its life cycle and, after a night of feeding, always returns to the same burrow. It is thought that it recognises its own home by its distinctive smell or pheromone.
