Myrmecophilidae

Definition

A family of minute, wingless crickets (Orthoptera) that live obligately in ant colonies as myrmecophiles. Members are dorsoventrally flattened, lack tympanal organs and stridulatory structures, and exhibit reduced eyes and long antennae—morphological adaptations for navigating nest galleries. The family contains fewer than 100 described species in several genera, including Myrmecophilus, the ant-loving crickets.

Etymology

From Greek myrmex (ant) + philos (loving), with the family suffix -idae.

Example

Myrmecophilus acervorum, a widespread Palearctic species, lives within Formica wood ant nests where it scavenges on ant regurgitations and prey remains.

Synonyms

• ant crickets
• ant-loving crickets

Related Terms

• myrmecophile
• myrmecophily
• Gryllotalpidae
• inquiline
• symphile
• Orthoptera
• ectosymbiosis
• social parasitism

Usage Notes

Sometimes treated as a subfamily Myrmecophilinae within Gryllotalpidae (mole crickets) in older classifications; modern treatments (e.g., GBIF, Orthoptera Species File) recognize Myrmecophilidae as a distinct family. The common name 'ant crickets' is also applied to unrelated myrmecophilous taxa such as some Phalangopsidae, so context matters. Distinguish from myrmecophilous beetles (e.g., some Staphylinidae) or silverfish (Lepismatidae) that share the ecological habit but not the taxonomic name.