Orthoptera42 species

Family True Crickets (Gryllidae)

Gryllidae is a family in the order Orthoptera. Browse 42 named species recorded in this family, or open an individual profile for its available identification and natural-history information.

Species in Gryllidae (42)

Tropical House Cricket

Gryllodes sigillatus

Probably introduced from Asia. Raised and sold for pet food.

Damp-loving Field Cricket

Gryllus alogus

Identification: Somewhat more brownish than most Gryllus species (still overall blackish though); not strongly patterned. Short or long-winged, and often flying to lights. The most distinctive feature is the rapid short "chirps" of the male song ,

Jamaican Field Cricket

Gryllus assimilis

Identification: Brown, tan, or a bit yellowish with a distinctive black or nearly black pattern. Some are lighter than others, and generally the blackish coloring dominates the lighter background coloring. G. personatus is very similar, but occurs i

Sand Field Cricket

Gryllus firmus

Identification: Where found with G. pennsylvanicus north from Virginia, distinguished by longer ovipositor, often more brownish or reddish coloring on wings legs, and ventrally on body and head. Usually the cerci are brownish with a white ring at ba

Southern Wood Cricket

Gryllus fultoni

Identification: Head narrower than pronotum; cerci usually yellow in life; hind wings always short; tegmina brown and black Very similar to Gryllus vernalis , and differing somewhat in habitat preference, song, etc.

Western Trilling Cricket

Gryllus integer

Identification: In much of the southwest, the only Gryllus with a nearly continuous trilling song . Overlaps distribution to east with basically identical G. texensis (mostly in western Texas), and distinction is problematic (perhaps often impossible

Long Cercus Field Cricket

Gryllus longicercus

Identification: Longest known cerci in the genus, sometimes exceeding the body length of pinned specimens

Fall Field Cricket

Gryllus pennsylvanicus

Identification: The classic black, often large-headed black "Field Cricket" of the late summer and autumn. With a musical chirping song. Identification of Gryllus is difficult, and location, date, and song are the easiest ways to identify them. See

Eastern Trilling Cricket

Gryllus rubens

Very like Gryllus texensis and integer , which are found mostly further west; however, those species sing with a less continuous trilling, making the western "species" sound as if they are missing on one cylinder, or stuttering slowly - just a bit. G

Texas Trilling Cricket

Gryllus texensis

Identification: Song - UF Extension Gryllus integer, texensis , and rubens are all very similar in appearance, song, and habits, and overlap distribution, so it is difficult to identify them in areas of overlap. It seems possible (perhaps probable)

Spring Field Cricket

Gryllus veletis

A black spring cricket of cold winter regions. Very like G. pennsylvanicus. G. firmus , and at least a few southwestern species (some still unnamed), and virtually impossible to tell from them except by where found, what time of year, and sometimes

Eastern Striped Cricket

Miogryllus saussurei

Identification: Stripes on head; no white stripe between eyes; white to pale yellowish palpi; legs pale at base, and often entirely pale; small size. Velarifictorus micado is very similar, but face has pale nearly straight horizontal stripe between e

Belfrage's cricket

Trigonidomimus belfragei

Identification: Identified by the combination of: -- shortened forewings -- antennal placement low on head -- 2nd tarsal segments short and cylindrical -- hind tarsi with few pairs of spines -- ovipositor slim and straight. Known only from 5 specimen