Commercial-insect-farming
Guides
Acheta
house crickets, field crickets
Acheta is a genus of field crickets (Gryllidae) containing approximately 17 described species, with Acheta domesticus (house cricket) being the most widely known and economically significant. The genus is distributed across the Palaearctic realm and North America, with A. domesticus achieving cosmopolitan distribution through human activity. Species in this genus are characterized by their stridulatory communication, with males producing species-specific calling songs to attract females. The house cricket serves as a major source of animal feed, fish bait, and increasingly as human food, though its cultivation faces challenges from Acheta domesticus Densovirus (AdDNV).
Acheta domesticus
House Cricket, European House Cricket
Acheta domesticus, the house cricket, is a widely distributed cricket species likely native to Southwestern Asia but now found globally through human commerce. The species has been kept in captivity since at least the 1700s and is considered highly domesticated. It serves as the primary cricket species in the global pet food industry, raised as feed for reptiles, amphibians, birds, and arthropods. The species has been severely impacted by Acheta domesticus Densovirus (AdDNV), a highly virulent and environmentally resistant pathogen that has caused widespread mortality in commercial breeding facilities and driven industry shifts toward alternative cricket species.
Gryllodes sigillatus
Tropical house cricket, Indian house cricket, banded cricket
Gryllodes sigillatus is a small cricket species widely farmed for human consumption and animal feed, particularly as a sustainable protein source. Native to Southwestern Asia, it has spread throughout tropical regions worldwide and is commonly associated with human habitations. The species has gained prominence in commercial insect farming due to its resistance to Acheta domesticus densovirus (AdDNV), which devastated populations of the common house cricket. It serves as a model organism in behavioral and evolutionary ecology research, particularly for studies on mating systems, sexual selection, and neurobiology.
Zophobas
blind click-beetles
Zophobas is a genus of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) native to the Americas. The genus contains several species, with Zophobas morio (also known as Z. atratus) being the most widely recognized due to its commercial importance. Larvae of this species, commonly called "superworms," are larger and more nutritious than yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and are extensively used as feeder insects for reptiles, birds, and other pets. Research has demonstrated that Z. morio larvae can degrade polystyrene and other plastics through gut microbiome activity, with potential applications in waste management and as a protein source for animal feed and human consumption.