Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae: Stenopelmatus sp. (Jerusalem Cricket)

There are several species of Jerusalem Crickets in the basin, none apparently named. The insects are immediately recognizable by their large size, bald round heads, winglessness, heavily spined hind legs, and fat abdomens ringed in black. They are known by several other common names, including "sand crickets," "children of the Earth", and "Chacos."(Locally, they have also been called "potato bug," probably because of the damage they occasionally do to potatoes in the ground. But Jerusalem crickets are not to be confused with the Colorado Potato Beetle, a distinctive striped beetle that feeds on the foliage of this crop in field and gardens in the eastern United States).

Photograph by C. Hogue

The large size of Jerusalem crickets (they are up to 2 in., or 50 mm long), and their amber-colored humanoid heads caused them to be the object of superstition and fear by some southwestern and Mexican Indians. The Navajo thought them deadly poisonous and called them "wó see tsinii," which means "skull insect" or "bone neck beetle." Although their strong jaws can bite with considerable force, Jerusalem crickets are not poisonous.

These insects are nocturnal and live in the soil. Individuals are usually seen when they become stranded after a nightly sojourn above ground or when they are uncovered by the gardener's spade. They require high humidity and are most active in the spring, after the winter rains have loosened the soil; in the dry summer they burrow deeply to escape the heat of the day but may wander on the soil surface during the night. Their food consists mainly of roots and tubers, although they sometimes eat dead animal matter and may even be cannibalistic at times.

To attract each other, males and females drum the abdomen against the bottoms of their burrows and on the ground. Mating begins with vigorous "wrestling maches" between the sexes, followed by copulation. The eggs are large and are laid in groups in soil pockets. They typical life cycle extends over two years, and the developing insect may molt up to ten times.

Jerusalem crickets are not easily kept in captivity. It is important to provide them with a humid environment: fresh apple or potato slices provide moisture as well as food.

© 1993 Insects of the Los Angeles Basin