The
orthoptera
Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – gras ...
n family Rhaphidophoridae of the
suborder
Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...
Ensifera
Ensifera is a Order (biology), suborder of insects that includes the various types of crickets and their allies, including cricket (insect), true crickets, Rhaphidophoridae, camel crickets, Tettigoniidae, bush crickets or katydids, Prophalangops ...
has a worldwide distribution.
Common names for these insects include cave crickets, camel crickets, spider crickets (sometimes shortened to "criders" or "sprickets"), and sand treaders. Those occurring in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
are typically referred to as jumping or cave
wētā
Wētā (also spelled weta in English) is the common name for a group of about 100 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae endemism, endemic to New Zealand. They are giant wingless insect, flightless cricket (insect ...
.
Most are found in forest environments or within
cave
Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...
s, animal burrows, cellars, under stones, or in wood or similar environments.
All species are flightless and nocturnal, usually with long
antennae and legs.
More than 500 species of Rhaphidophoridae are described.
The well-known
field crickets are from a different superfamily (Grylloidea) and only look vaguely similar, while members of the family
Tettigoniidae
Insects in the family (biology), family Tettigoniidae are commonly called katydids (especially in North America) or bush crickets. They have previously been known as "long-horned grasshoppers". More than 8,000 species are known. Part of the subo ...
may look superficially similar in body form.
Description
Most cave crickets have very large hind legs with "drumstick-shaped" femora and equally long, thin tibiae, and long, slender antennae. The antennae arise closely and next to each other on the head. They are brownish in color and rather humpbacked in appearance, always wingless, and up to long in body and for the legs. The bodies of early instars may appear translucent.
As their name suggests, cave crickets are commonly found in caves or old mines. Some inhabit other cool, damp environments such as rotten logs, stumps and hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards, and logs.
Occasionally, they prove to be a nuisance in the basements of homes in suburban areas, drains, sewers, wells, and firewood stacks. Some reach into alpine areas and live close to permanent ice, such as the
Mount Cook "flea" (''
Pharmacus montanus'') and its relatives in New Zealand.
Subfamilies and genera
Aemodogryllinae
Genera include:
* tribe Aemodogryllini Jacobson, 1905 – Asia (Korea, Indochina, Russia, China), Europe
** ''
Diestrammena''
Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888
** ''
Tachycines''
Adelung, 1902
* tribe Diestramimini Gorochov, 1998 – India, southern China, Indochina
** ''
Diestramima''
Storozhenko, 1990
** ''
Gigantettix''
Gorochov, 1998
Anoplophilinae
Genera include:
* ''
Alpinanoplophilus''
Ishikawa, 1993 – Japan
* ''
Anoplophilus''
Karny, 1931 – Japan and Korea
Ceuthophilinae
cave crickets, camel crickets and sand treaders: North America
Genera include:
* tribe Argyrtini Saussure & Pictet, 1897
** ''
Anargyrtes''
Hubbell, 1972
** ''
Argyrtes''
Saussure & Pictet, 1897
** ''
Leptargyrtes''
Hubbell, 1972
* tribe Ceuthophilini Tepper, 1892
** ''
Ceuthophilus''
Scudder, 1863
** ''
Macrobaenetes''
Tinkham, 1962
** ''
Rhachocnemis''
Caudell, 1916
** ''
Styracosceles''
Hubbell, 1936
** ''
Typhloceuthophilus''
Hubbell, 1940
** ''
Udeopsylla''
Scudder, 1863
** ''
Utabaenetes''
Tinkham, 1970
* tribe Daihiniini Karny, 1930
** ''
Ammobaenetes''
Hubbell, 1936
** ''
Daihinia''
Haldeman, 1850
** ''
Daihinibaenetes''
Tinkham, 1962
** ''
Daihiniella''
Hubbell, 1936
** ''
Daihiniodes''
Hebard, 1929
** ''
Phrixocnemis''
Scudder, 1894
* tribe
Hadenoecini Ander, 1939 – North America
** ''
Euhadenoecus
'
Hubbell, 1978
** ''
Hadenoecus''
Scudder, 1863
* tribe Pristoceuthophilini Rehn, 1903
** ''
Exochodrilus''
Hubbell, 1972
** ''
Farallonophilus''
Rentz, 1972
** ''
Pristoceuthophilus''
Rehn, 1903
** ''
Salishella''
Hebard, 1939
Dolichopodainae
cave crickets: southern Europe, western Asia
* ''
Dolichopoda''
Bolivar, 1880
Gammarotettiginae
Auth. Karny, 1937 – North America
* tribe Gammarotettigini Karny, 1937
** ''
Gammarotettix''
Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888
Macropathinae
Gondwanan cave crickets

Genera include:
* tribe Macropathini Karny, 1930 – Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa, the Falkland Islands
**''
Australotettix''
Richards, 1964 – Australia (Queensland, New South Wales)
** ''
Cavernotettix''
Richards, 1966 – Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania)
** ''
Crux
CRUX is a lightweight x86-64 Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It is not based on any other Linux distribution. It also utilizes a ports system ...
'' Trewick, 2024 - New Zealand
** ''
Dendroplectron''
Richards, 1964 – New Zealand
** ''
Eburnocauda''
Beasley-Hall & Iannello, 2024 – Australia (Victoria)
** ''
Heteromallus''
Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888 – South America
** ''
Insulanoplectron''
Richards, 1970 – New Zealand
** ''
Ischyroplectron''
Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
** ''
Isoplectron''
Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
** ''
Macropathus''
Walker, 1869 – New Zealand
** ''
Maotoweta''
Johns & Cook, 2014 – New Zealand
** ''
Micropathus''
Richards, 1964 – Australia (Tasmania)
**''Miotopus'' Hutton, 1898 – New Zealand
**''
Neonetus''
Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888 – New Zealand
**''
Notoplectron''
Richards, 1964 – New Zealand
**''
Novoplectron''
Richards, 1966 – New Zealand
**''
Novotettix''
Richards, 1966 – Australia (South Australia)
**''
Occultastella'' Trewick, 2024 - New Zealand
**''
Pachyrhamma''
Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888 – New Zealand
**''
Pallidoplectron''
Richards, 1958 – New Zealand
**''
Pallidotettix''
Richards, 1968 – Australia (South Australia, Western Australia)
**''
Paraneonetus''
Salmon, 1958 – New Zealand
**''
Parudenus''
Enderlein, 1910 – South America
**''
Pharmacus''
Pictet & Saussure, 1893 – New Zealand
**''
Pleioplectron''
Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
**''Praecantrix''
Hegg, Morgan-Richards & Trewick 2024 – New Zealand
**''
Spelaeiacris''
Peringuey, 1916 – South Africa
**''
Speleotettix''
Chopard, 1944 – Australia (South Australia, Victoria)
**''
Tasmanoplectron''
Richards, 1971 – Australia (Tasmania)
**''
Udenus''
Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1900– South America
* tribe Talitropsini Gorochov, 1988
**''
Talitropsis''
Bolivar, 1882 – New Zealand
† Protroglophilinae
*
† ''
Prorhaphidophora''
Chopard, 1936
*
† ''
Protroglophilus''
Gorochov, 1989
Rhaphidophorinae
Genera include:
* tribe Rhaphidophorini Walker, 1869 – India, southern China, Japan, Indochina, Malaysia, Australasia
** ''
Eurhaphidophora'' Gorochov, 1999
** ''
Rhaphidophora
''Rhaphidophora'' is a genus in the family Araceae, occurring from tropical Africa eastwards through Malesia and Australasia to the Western Pacific. The genus consists of approximately 100 species.
Description
This is a genus of evergreen, robu ...
'' Serville, 1838
** ''
Stonychophora'' Karny, 1934
Troglophilinae
cave crickets: the Mediterranean region
* ''
Troglophilus''
Krauss, 1879
Tropidischiinae
camel crickets: Canada
* ''
Tropidischia''
Scudder, 1869
An as-yet-unnamed genus was discovered within a cave in
Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument, on the Utah/Arizona border, in 2005. Its most distinctive characteristic is that it has functional grasping
cerci on its posterior.
Ecology
Their distinctive limbs and antennae serve a double purpose. Typically living in a lightless environment, or active at night, they rely heavily on their sense of touch, which is limited by reach. While they have been known to take up residence in the basements of buildings,
many cave crickets live out their entire lives deep inside caves. In those habitats, they sometimes face long spans of time with insufficient access to nutrients. Given their limited vision, cave crickets often jump to avoid predation. Those species of Rhaphidophoridae that have been studied are primarily scavengers, eating plant, animal, and fungi material.
Although they look intimidating, they are completely harmless.
The group known as "sand treaders" is restricted to sand dunes, and are adapted to live in this environment. They are active only at night, and spend the day burrowed into the sand to minimize water loss. In the large sand dunes of California and Utah, they serve as food for scorpions and at least one specialized bird,
LeConte's thrasher (''Toxostoma lecontei''). The thrasher roams the dunes looking for the tell-tale debris of the diurnal hiding place and excavates the sand treaders (the range of bird is in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in the U.S.).
Interactions with humans
Cave and camel crickets are of little economic importance except as a nuisance in buildings and homes, especially basements. They are usually "accidental invaders" that wander in from adjacent areas. They may reproduce indoors, and are seen in dark, moist conditions such as a basement, shower, or laundry area, as well as in organic debris (e.g.,
compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...
heaps) that serve as food. They are fairly common invaders of homes in
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
and other chilly regions in Japan. They are called ''kamado-uma'' or colloquially ''benjo korogi'' (便所コオロギ, literally, "toilet cricket").
A representation of a female from the ''Troglophilus'' genus has been found engraved on a bison bone in the
Cave of the Trois-Frères,
[.] showing that they were likely already present around humans, maybe as pets or pests, in caves inhabited by prehistoric populations in the
Magdalenian
Magdalenian cultures (also Madelenian; ) are later cultures of the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic in western Europe. They date from around 17,000 to 12,000 years before present. It is named after the type site of Abri de la Madeleine, a ro ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhaphidophoridae
Orthoptera families
Cave insects
Blind animals