Species Gryllus vernalis - Northern Wood Cricket

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Remarks · Print References · Internet References

Black Cricket - Gryllus vernalis - female

Northern Wood Cricket - Gryllus vernalis - male

Northern Wood Cricket - Gryllus vernalis - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)

Suborder Ensifera (Long-horned Orthoptera)

Infraorder Gryllidea (Crickets)

Family Gryllidae (True Crickets)

Subfamily Gryllinae (Field Crickets)

Genus Gryllus (Field Crickets)

Species vernalis (Northern Wood Cricket)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Gryllus vernalis Blatchley 1920

Identification

Identification of Gryllus species can be very difficult. One key feature of this species is the male song consisting of long series of fairly rapid short musical "chirps".

Pronotum of male widest near posterior border; head of male narrower than pronotum, presenting a retracted appearance; width not over 4.7 mm; body length 9.5-15.5 mm; always micropterous.

Gryllus fultoni is perhaps most similar, but with a usually slower song, and somewhat different habitat preferences. Tegmina in G. vernalis are always black, cerci rarely yellow.

Range

Eastern Texas to northern Mississippi, Illinois, and Ohio. Mostly in upland areas. Not really particularly northern, but more northern and/or upland than G. fultoni

Habitat

Woodland obligate

Season

Adults from early May to midsummer; nymphs overwinter

Remarks

Smallest species of Gryllus, on average, in the US

Print References

Weissman, D. B., & Gray, D. A. (2019). Crickets of the genus Gryllus in the United States (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae). Zootaxa, 4705(1), 1-277.

Internet References

Singing Insects of North America

Contributed by David J. Ferguson on 27 January, 2009 - 6:34pm
Additional contributions by metrioptera, Arturo Santos
Last updated 31 July, 2021 - 5:35pm

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