Field Crickets

Gryllus is a genus of field cricket (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Gryllinae). Members of the genus are typically 15–31 mm long and darkly coloured.^[2] The type species is Gryllus campestris L.: the European field cricket.

History

Until the mid-1950s, native field crickets in eastern North America were all assigned to a single species, Acheta assimilis Fabricius. Although regional variation in calling song and life history were noted,^[3][4] no morphological characters could be found to reliably distinguish these variants.^[5] Building upon the pioneering work of Fulton,^[4] Alexander ^[5] used male calling song, life history and crosses between putative species to revise the taxonomy of gryllines in the eastern United States, and recognized five species, although at the time they were still classified in the genus Acheta.

Description

Species in this genus often look extremally similar to species from other genera. They can often only be distinguished by the male genitalia. The epithallus typically consists of three lobes, the middle one being longer and more slender than the rest, in American and European species. African species, however, show more variability, making it more difficult to assign species to a genus with the same degree of certainty as there is more overlap with closely related genera.^[6]

Distribution

Gryllus is one of the most widespread cricket genera. It is found in Africa, North and South America, Europe and Asia.^[6]

Species

The genus contains the following species as of March 2023:^[7][8]

References