Species Acheta domesticus - House Cricket

Acheta domesticus (Linnaeus 1758)

the only species in this genus in North America

body 16-21 mm

Head light brown with three black transverse bands: one across the back of the head, another between the eyes, and a third horseshoe-shaped band between the antennae; pronotum light brown with dark brown or blackish markings on side and top; wings brown and black, usually extending beyond abdomen and tapering to a long point; pale dorsolateral line runs along each wing; legs brown, hind tibiae with two rows of several spines; ovipositor straight, thin, shorter than length of abdomen

all house crickets have long hind wings when they become adult, but they sometimes shed them later

juveniles resemble adults but are smaller and wingless

found in many places throughout the world, but in North America wild populations are restricted to eastern United States (except peninsular Florida), southern Ontario and Quebec, and southern California

found in and around houses, other buildings, and in garbage dumps

throughout the year indoors

soft plant matter, other insects, and carrion

Fish food is good for rearing.

Vitamin E (tocopherols) is an important vitamin for spermatogenesis.

eggs are laid on a damp substrate such as sand or moss; overwinters as an adult in buildings or other sheltered areas

Life Cycle here:

male house crickets make a calling song by rubbing a scraper on the inner edge of the left wing against the teeth of a file beneath the right wing; the calling song is a series of short chirps.

Probably native to southwestern Asia, but has been widely distributed by man. In the United States it occurs wherever it is sold, but it survives in feral populations only in the eastern United States (except peninsular Florida), and southern California. Why it fails to survive in peninsular Florida is not known University of Florida

Gryllodes sigillatus is similar.

pinned adult images of male and female, plus distribution map, description, biology, etc. (Featured Creatures, U. of Florida)

pinned adult images plus illustrations, distribution map, calling songs, sound spectrogram (Singing Insects of North America, Thomas Walker, U. of Florida)

live adult images [courtesy U. of Nebraska] plus description, biology, habitat, and other info (Stuart Bennett, UK)