potato bug

Jerusalem cricket
Stenopelmatus fuscus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Family:	Stenopelmatidae
Genus:	Stenopelmatus Burmeister, 1838 [1]
Species
Stenopelmatus coahuilensis Stenopelmatus fuscus Stenopelmatus intermedius Stenopelmatus longispina Stenopelmatus mescaleroensis Stenopelmatus navajo Stenopelmatus nigrocapitatus Stenopelmatus pictus plus numerous unnamed species (>30)

Jerusalem crickets are a group of large, flightless insects of the genus Stenopelmatus. They are native to the western United States and parts of Mexico. In California, the Jerusalem cricket is often referred to as a “potato bug”.^[2] Its large, human-like head has inspired both Native American and Spanish names; several Navajo names refer to the insect's head:^[3]

• c’ic’in lici (Tsiitsʼiin łichíʼí) "red-skull"
• c’os bic’ic lici (Chʼosh bitsiitsʼiin łichíʼí) "red-skull bug"
• c’ic’in lici’ I coh (Tsiitsʼiin łichíʼítsoh) "big red-skull"
• wo se c’ini or rositsini or yo sic’ini (Wóó tsiitsʼiin/Yaaʼ tsiitsʼiiní) "skull insect"

Other names include the Hopi qalatötö ("shiny bug")^[3] and the Spanish niña de la tierra ("earth child") and cara de niño ("child's face").^[3][2]

Despite their names, Jerusalem crickets are not true crickets, as they belong to the family Stenopelmatidae while the latter belong to the family Gryllidae; they are not native to Jerusalem, and they do not prefer potatoes for food. These nocturnal insects use their strong mandibles to feed primarily on dead organic matter but can also eat other insects.^[4] Their highly adapted feet are used for burrowing beneath moist soil to feed on decaying root plants and tubers.

Classification

There are a number of other genera in the same superfamily (Stenopelmatoidea) in Australia and New Zealand. These are the weta and king crickets. They are similar to Stenopelmatus in many respects. The family Stenopelmatidae, however, contains only a single genus, most of the species of which are undescribed.

Communication

The Jerusalem cricket's song features a characteristic drumming sound

Stenopelmatus fuscus

Similar to true crickets, each species of Jerusalem cricket produces a different song during mating. This song takes the form of a characteristic drumming in which the insect beats its abdomen against the ground.

No species have wings with sound-producing structures; moreover, evidently none has structures it could use to hear sound.^[5][6] This contrasts with true crickets and katydids, who use their wings to produce sounds and have hearing organs to sense sounds of others. Jerusalem crickets also seem unable to hiss by forcing air through their spiracles, as some beetles and cockroaches do. Instead, the few Jerusalem crickets that do make sound rub their hind legs against the sides of the abdomen, producing a rasping, hissing noise.^[7] This hiss may serve to deter predators rather than to communicate with other crickets. For such purposes, Jerusalem crickets rely on substrate vibrations felt by subgenual organs located in all six of the insect's legs.^[8]

Common name origins

Several hypotheses attempt to explain the origin of the term "Jerusalem cricket".^[3] John Stoffolano hypothesizes that the term originated from a mixing of Navajo and Christian terminology. He suggests that Franciscan priests had a strong connection with the Navajos, particularly in the development of the Navajo dictionary and vocabulary. These priests, Stoffolano contends, heard the Navajos speak of a "skull insect" and took this to be a reference to Skull Hill, the cliff outside Jerusalem near the place where Jesus was said to be crucified.

Common myths

Mahogany Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus n. sp. "mahogany") next to a 2.4 cm quarter

Jerusalem Cricket in its burrow

As is true for other large arthropods (e.g. solfugids), there are a number of folk tales regarding Jerusalem crickets which are untrue. First and foremost, they are not venomous; they can emit a foul smell and are capable of inflicting a painful bite, but neither is lethal as some of the tales would suggest. They also do not cry like children, nor do they rub their legs together to make sounds.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Stenopelmatidae

• Phylogenetics of the Mahogany Jerusalem Cricket in Southern California
• Jerusalem Cricket, from the San Diego Natural History Museum. Several photos.
• Ask Dr. Bug
• The trip to the lava field - has a picture of a beautiful colored Mexican species.
• What's that bug - pictures and comments.
• BugGuide.net - pictures and information on genus Stenopelmatus - Jerusalem Cricket.