Jerusalem Cricket by photosynthesis

Photography • Insects • posted on Jan 11, 2012

Open full image in new tab Zoom on image

Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.

Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.

Description

Found this critter in our basement. In this shot, he looks to me like he's bowing down in prayer. He's roughly 2 inches long. Worth a zoom... From Wikipedia: 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. Despite their names, Jerusalem crickets are not true crickets, as they belong to the Stenopelmatidae family while the latter belong to the Gryillidae family; 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. Their highly adapted feet are used for burrowing beneath moist soil to feed on decaying root plants and tubers.