Thursday, February 27, 2014

Red-headed Bush Cricket

When you think of a cricket, a robust blackish or brownish insect probably comes to mind. Maybe you imagine the classic “cricket on the hearth,” cheerfully “chirp-chirp-chirping” from some concealed location indoors or outside. You might be surprised to learn that crickets in the family Gryllidae come in a variety of forms, with a corresponding diversity in song. The Red-headed Bush Cricket, Phyllopalpus pulchellus, is a delicate, diminutive, and colorful creature with a trilling song.

Male

This species is active both day and night, and at first glance may be mistaken for some other kind of insect. Adults are only 7-9 millimeters in body length, and they crawl over foliage well off the ground in contrast to the more lumbering, ground-dwelling field crickets that are more familiar.

Females have unmodified front wings, and a sickle-like ovipositor jutting from the rear of the abdomen. Males have the front wings modified for producing a shockingly loud, high-pitched calling song. His wings are asymmetrical in venation, and the left one with a clear spot in the middle.

Female

He elevates his front wings to a nearly vertical position, and often selects a “stage” where two leaves come close together. This configuration helps amplify and project his song.

Phyllopalpus pulchellus is also known as the Handsome Trig, and indeed it is sharply-dressed. Both genders are easily recognized by their bright red, black, and yellow color pattern. Their mouthparts include palps, like most other insects with chewing mouthparts, but the terminal segment is conspicuously broadened. It gives them the appearance of having “boxing gloves” that are in constant motion as the insect senses the chemical properties of the surfaces they roam across.

This is a common insect that ranges from southern New England to northern Florida and west to the eastern borders of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Look for the adults in July, August, and September in low shrubs and bushes.

I have had success finding the Red-headed Bush Cricket simply by scanning various plants, whether the creature is singing or not. It does helps to know what they sound like, though, so take a listen to the digital recording on the ”Singing Insects of North America” website. In my experience, the song is even more shrill than it comes across in the recording.

Sources: Capinera, John L., Ralph D. Scott, and Thomas J. Walker. 2004. Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Publishing Associates (Cornell University Press). 249 pp.
Elliott, Lang and Wil Hershberger. 2006. The Songs of Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 228 pp.

66 comments:

  1. I love these little beauties! I've been documenting their movement as they expand their range farther to the north and east here in NE Ohio. There is a huge difference just between Akron and Cleveland. It will be very interesting to see how this relentless, bitter-cold winter affects their northward progress.

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    1. We're in the Youngstown area & I just captured one in my bathroom & released him outside. Boy are they LOUD indoors. Lol

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    2. Ha! We just found one in our bathroom as well, way up in the corner of a skylight, and yup...VERY loud for such a small creature. Relocated outside so he can find the mate he was calling for.

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    3. Found in Marlboro MA On 8/18/18

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    4. Found one in st. Marys ohio ....

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    5. found one in Stow MA. They seem quite abundant over the past week or so in our rural yard. :Looking at the iNaturalist map - I wonder if they are closer to more urban centers up in the northern part of their range a sa rsult of the urban heat island.

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    6. Found one last night in East Hartford CT in top of my garbage container. Put him in a jar to admire and ID him but will release him tonight.

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    7. I just found one in Burlington, MA. First time I've ever seen one.

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    8. My gardens have a ton of these little guys. I have never seen so many. Framingham, MA.

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    9. Also spotted many of these the past month or so. I'm pretty familiar with the garden, and have not seen this many in Massachusetts in the past.

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    10. I have seen several outdoors on my raspberry bushes in Mantua, OH; Southeast of Cleveland and Northeast of Akron.

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    11. I have one in my office here in the northern North Carolina. Cute little guy, I think he's a baby!

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    12. Never saw one before, so I decided to research him. Thanks for the great info on the site.

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    13. Found a female in Lowell, MA

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  2. I just found one over here in MA! Adorable little guy.

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  3. Hi, nice post...I collected one in the southwest part of Florida. Perhaps their range is more southern than thought? bugroom2@gmail.com Location: Hardee County, FL.

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  4. Im in alabama and theres lots in my rual area. Nice to be able to at least hear them among the cecedas

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  5. Im in alabama and theres lots in my rual area. Nice to be able to at least hear them among the cecedas

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  6. Just had one on my front porch, really neat have never seen one before. Up north her in mid Ohio

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  7. Eric, I first noticed the sound these little insects make. One day I was sitting near a hanging basket we have on our deck and heard the loud trilling. I looked around and sure enough, there was one of these with its wings near vertical. I still did not know what they were. This evening, I was sitting on my deck having dinner and one of these bush crickets climbed up on my plate and started sampling my dinner. I had finished my portion but there were a few small scraps and sauce left. For the record, it was a spicy Indian dish, Gobi Tawa Masala. The bush cricket made its way to a bit of the sauce and started to sample it. I left the cricket alone and was amazed to see the tiny amount of food disappearing. I eat all organic foods with no chemicals so the red headed bush cricket had a good dinner as well. I love bugs of all sorts...

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    1. This made me laugh, I hope that's ok....Wow, that cricket has a stronger palate than *I* do! Thank you for sharing this story. :-)

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  8. I just found one in my house the other day. I live in southwestern PA. I seem another one this evening. I didn't know what it was and almost panicked that I somehow was getting roaches. Because I keep a very clean home.

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  9. Had one here in mercer county, pa

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  10. I had two in the house in Montgomery County, PA. They kept waking up the children. They are extremely loud. I thought a new kind of alarm or error code was going off!

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  11. Just seen this little bugger on my outdoor umbrella and almost killed it because it's color worried me. I let it live and then Googled it instead.

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  12. I found one in Monroe, Louisiana today. First siting for me.

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  13. Have them right here in Foxborough MA

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  14. I think I just say one on my porch in rockland county ny

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  15. Found one in rockland County ny

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  16. My daughter and I just had one on our window in Beverly MA. They are cool looking.

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  17. Many here in Stone Ridge NY. What do they eat? Other then Indian food....

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  18. Just found one on my mailbox yesterday, I thought it was a mix breeded cricket, never ever seen one before here in northwest arkansas!

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  19. Just seen one and took a picture of it in Olmsted Falls Ohio. Wasn't sure what it was till I just looked it up and gound this site.

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  20. Found one on my deck, just northwest of Atlanta, Georgia and had to look him up. Thank you for the info on this neat little guy, Bug Eric.

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  21. Just found one outside and thought it was some kind of weird and lol.

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  22. Here too in Chelmsford MA. I've heard their singing all the time. It's good to discover the thing that makes summer summer with all the wonderful summer sound.

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  23. Smithfield RI. My husband just found a sweet little female. I've lived here all my life and have never seen one but have definitely heard them. She's probably wondering why she is suddenly in a little Tupperware container with a big eye staring at her! Letting her go now to be free.

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  24. We have them in Troy NY !!

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  25. Found one in Talladega, Alabama in the foyer where many house plants are. Very loud for such a little guy. Took a while to locate him and will release.

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  26. Female in Greensboro NC -- right downtown!

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  27. Found one in Columbus, NJ. What a beauty!

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  28. I have a bunch In my yard this year took me a while to identify them thanks for the great help...i have lots of pictures just cant upload them on this page..

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    1. Neat! In the interest of cybersecurity I do not allow others to upload anything here. Thank you for understanding.

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  29. Found several today in Slippery Rock, PA....think they might be what I've been hearing for awhile now.

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  30. I've been noticing these crickets for about 3 years on my deck here in Green, Ohio,just south of Akron.They are pretty friendly little guys.It's interesting to see all the posts from NE Ohio.What could be the reason for the spread?

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    1. Not sure they are "spreading," but as the climate warms....

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  31. My wife found them in our flower garden here in Woodhaven, Michigan. South of Detroit. Thanks for ID info! Apparently they like Coreopsis, tickseed!

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  32. About a week ago in Massachusetts on the south shore, we had a couple of cold nights. I brought my basil plant inside for the night. The next morning my while my husband was having breakfast, he was treated to a free concert by one of these little guys. Apparently, The handsome Trig had stowed away on my basil. I have since put my plant back outside and he's still there singing away. Anytime I pinch a little piece of Basil off, I make sure not to disturb him. I wonder what he's going to do when it gets too cold. �� For right now, I adore having him living in my plant! ❤️

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  33. Just found one here in Columbus Indiana.

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  34. overrun by them on my deck in Bridgewater Mass. Are they what's tearing up my hibiscus plants??

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    1. Steve M: No, definitely NOT eating your hibiscus. I would strongly suspect some kind of blister beetle (Epicauta sp.) instead.

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  35. Found one in Indiana. Wasn't sure what it was so I used Google,and well... Here I am lol

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  36. Karen the insect lover- (arachnids, too!)September 12, 2021 at 10:31 PM

    Just saw a handsome fellow on the hood of my SUV in a southwest suburb of Chicago. Just adorable!

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  37. I lived in Western PA in the Allegheny Mtn Range for decades and surprisingly never saw one of these until this past month! Thank you for the info on this Cricket! I caught one to ID and just left it go in the grass.

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  38. I am finding them in Wayne County,MI in my gardens. They are loud all night. I don't remember finding them in the past.

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  39. I have many this year in Rhode Island. It's the first time I recall seeing them. They are all over the Virginia Creeper in my yard. A beautiful and welcome addition to my yard's fauna.

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  40. Just found one in my bedroom Heath Springs SC

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  41. We have had quite a micro population at our residence inn Blacksburg VA for over 20 years. Impressive trill and quite stunning sometimes

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  42. Just found one in my flower bed in SW Michigan

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  43. Clinton, TN. Found one tonight.

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