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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Orthoptera) » Long-horned Orthoptera (Ensifera) » Katydids, Camel Crickets, and relatives (Tettigoniidea) » Jerusalem Crickets (Stenopelmatidae) » Jerusalem Cricket (Ammopelmatus) » Mahogany Jerusalem Cricket (Ammopelmatus Mahogany Jerusalem Cricket)
Photo#430706
Jerusalem Cricket - Ammopelmatus
Copyright © 2010 Jim Moore

Jerusalem Cricket - Ammopelmatus
1/2 mile west of Westwood , Lassen County, California, USA
May 25, 2010
Size: Body length 30mm
One of my favorite critters since childhood!

These crickets remain wingless through adulthood, and since their appearance seems to remain pretty much the same, it is for me a bit difficult to tell an immature specimen from an adult. Hopefully an expert on these crickets can explain the difference.

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Jerusalem Cricket - Ammopelmatus Jerusalem Cricket - Ammopelmatus
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Contributed by Jim Moore on 22 July, 2010 - 12:29pm
Last updated 4 April, 2011 - 3:25pm

Will put it in the generic "Mahogany JC" category,
but I'm not sure if that is one species or more. These dark ones are distinctive looking and have somewhat different morphology. As for telling juveniles from adults, once they get large it's difficult to tell. Generally, when you have one in hand, the adults have more hardened integument, and often there is more dark color (except this one is dark all over, so it might not help much). From a photo, it's much more difficult to tell, and I'm not sure how to tell late instar nymphs from adults. This one "looks" adult to me, but I could be wrong.

Moved from Jerusalem Cricket.
… David J. Ferguson, 22 July, 2010 - 5:03pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks David...
... for the nice response. I remember a few years back reading in the newspaper about a really large dark Mahogany-colored JC being found and described in Southern CA, where I use to live. This specimen comes from the Westwood in North-eastern CA - habitat yellow pine forest.
… Jim Moore, 23 July, 2010 - 1:26am login or register to post comments

 
I probably should separate
the northern Cal. photos from the southern. They have a different "look" about them, and are likely a different species (???). I'm also not sure if the paler narrow rings on the abdomen indicate that they are juvenile, or are also an indicator of a different species. Dave Weissman is probably one of the few, if not the only person who has a good handle on species limits in this genus, and he's apparently still working on it. Used to be that almost every specimen found was just "S. fuscus", but it's clear there are several species - just - how to tell them apart?

The adult "Mahogany" crickets are to my eyes, very attractive, but I think my sense of aesthetics might be slightly off. :0)
… David J. Ferguson, 23 July, 2010 - 8:39am login or register to post comments

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