Jerusalem cricket
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Stenopelmatus coahuilensis |
The Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus) is a genus of large, flightless insects native to western United States, along the Pacific Coast, and south into Mexico. Because of its large, human-like head, it is commonly called the niño de la tierra (Spanish for "child of the earth"), Earth baby, cara de niño (Spanish for "child's face"), or wó see ts'inii (Navajo for "skull insect"). It is also often called the potato bug, or alternatively the old bald-headed man.
Despite their name, Jerusalem crickets are not true crickets. Also, they are neither true bugs nor do they prefer potatoes for food. Rather, the nocturnal insects use their strong mandibles to feed primarily on dead organic materials found near garden plants. They can also use their highly adapted feet for burrowing beneath moist soil to feed on decaying root plants and tubers.
Similar to true crickets, each species of potato bug produces a different song during mating, but this "song" takes the form of a characteristic drumming in which the insect beats its abdomen against the ground.
[edit] Classification
There are a few other genera in the family Stenopelmatidae, that occur in other parts of the world, but these are very similar to Stenopelmatus in most respects.
[edit] Common Myths
As is true for other large, "ugly" arthropods (e.g. solpugids), there are a number of folk tales regarding Jerusalem crickets which are simply untrue; first and foremost, they are not venomous. However, they can emit a foul smell and are capable of inflicting a painful bite - but neither is lethal, as some of the tales would suggest. They also do not cry like children, nor rub their legs together to make sounds; they cannot produce any audible sounds, having no sound-producing structures (true crickets use their wings to produce sounds, but Stenopelmatus lack wings) - they do not even seem to be able to hiss by forcing air through their spiracles, as some beetles and cockroaches do.
[edit] External links
- Phylogenetics of the Mahogany Jerusalem Cricket in Southern California
- Jerusalem Cricket, from the San Diego Natural History Museum
- PotatoBugs.com - Tongue in cheek 'information' pictures and an online forum
- The trip to the lava field - has a picture of a beautiful colored Mexican species.
