Allard’s Ground Cricket - Allonemobius allardi
With their distinct chirping, large size and glossy black shell, it’s normally Field Crickets that get all the notoriety from collectors. Of course, there are many more varieties of Cricket to find, observe and listen for. I’ve found that when it comes to me searching for them, I don’t have much luck except on those rare occasions where I can track them from their songs or when they leap out of the brush. I’m repeating myself from the first post featuring a Ground Cricket, but it’s all true, and there are still many more Crickets to find and talk about. Talking of this specimen, getting photos of her was easy, since the poor Cricket had lost a hindleg, making jumping much more difficult. It’s a sad reality of Orthopterans: those hindlegs are super-important, but since they’re so large and conspicuous, they are a prime target for the grasp of a predator’s claws or beak. I’ve noticed similar instances of this with Conifer Seed Bugs which also have enlarged hindlegs. Don’t think it’s all doom and gloom. Since she has escaped her peril, this Cricket can enjoy its days in the meadows, forests, and gravely terrain of Kleinburg.
Like the previous specimen, the identification of this Cricket is an educated guess at best given the similarities between Ground Crickets within the Allonemobius genus. There’s a few species that can immediately ruled out, but even more conclusive images are needed to confirm the identity here, including pictures of the Cricket’s underside. For now, Allard’s Cricket is enough, and fortunately for us, she does have distinct bristles along her hindleg and smaller bristles on the other legs (albeit thinner). As a mature, female Cricket, she is equipped with a thin ovipositor which can place eggs in hard to reach places, presumably the soil when it comes to the habits of Ground Crickets. Finally, due to her reduced wings (compared to the male’s wings), she is not able to produce a courtship song nor would those wings be useful at gaining height from a jump! Having said that, there are instances in which Ground Cricket females molt to their adult instar and gain elongated forewings in the process. This macropterous form helps scatter the Crickets, allowing them to travel farther, find new food sources and distribute themselves away from the competition of other Crickets. I was tempted to use the term “gregarious” to describe this long-winged form, but that is more attributed to Locusts and also comes with behavioral changes, including aggregating into a mobile swarm. Crickets like this seem to be more of the solitary type, only partnering when it’s the right time.
Pictures were taken on September 11, 2021 near Kleinburg village with a Google Pixel 4.
