Fall Field Cricket

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Gryllus pennsylvanicus: /ˈɡrɪləs ˌpɛn.sɪlˈvænɪkəs/

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Summary

Gryllus pennsylvanicus, known as the Pennsylvania Field Cricket or Fall Field Cricket, is characterized by its distinct chirping song and life cycle that includes overwintering as eggs. It is commonly found across much of North America, particularly in disturbed grassy areas and around human habitation.

Physical Characteristics

Adults reach 15–25 millimetres (0.6–1.0 in). Coloration ranges from dark black to dark brown, some specimens showing a slight reddish tint. Black antennae tend to be longer than body span; cerci are longer than head and prothorax; wings do not extend past cerci.

Identification Tips

Identification of Gryllus is difficult, with location, date, and song being the easiest ways to identify them. Best distinguished by the season of occurrence and by male calling song, which consists of short chirps of roughly two to three per second with three to five pulses per chirp.

Habitat

Burrows into soil in fields and forest edges, inhabiting grassy disturbed areas and often found around areas of human habitation.

Distribution

Common in southern Ontario and widespread across much of North America, found even into parts of northern Mexico; absent in most of the southwestern United States, including southern California.

Diet

Omnivorous, preying on seeds and invertebrates. Recorded food plants include smooth crabgrass, lamb's quarters, English plantain, switchgrass, common ragweed, and chicory.

Life Cycle

Overwinters as eggs. Nymphs mature through spring and summer, adults are most common in late summer and autumn. There is one generation per year.

Reproduction

Males call from burrows to attract females; females lay approximately 50 eggs at a time, over 400 in their lifespan. Eggs laid in late summer and fall overwinter and hatch the following spring.

Predators

Preyed upon by various predators including hawks and hornets.

Ecosystem Role

Significant predator of both seeds and invertebrates; interaction with the ecosystem through feeding habits contributes to ecological balance.

Evolution

G. pennsylvanicus and G. veletis were previously thought to be sister species due to temporal separation in breeding seasons, but this was incorrect; they form a clade with G. ovisopis and G. firmus, which hybridizes in the eastern United States.

Similar Taxa

• Gryllus veletis
• Gryllus firmus
• Gryllus ovisopis

Tags

• cricket
• Gryllus
• Pennsylvania Field Cricket
• Fall Field Cricket
• orthopteran
• insecta