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Jerusalem crickets (or potato bugs) are a group of large, flightless insects in the genera Ammopelmatus and Stenopelmatus, together comprising the tribe Stenopelmatini. The former genus is native to the western United States and parts of Mexico, while the latter genus is from Central America.
Luckily, a Jerusalem cricket bite isn't dangerous; it's just painful. They don't sting and they don't have venom. Jerusalem crickets do not have wings and can not fly.
- Up to 3 years
- Up to 7.6cm (3 inches) long
- North and Central America
- Jerusalem crickets are not crickets. While at first glance, they do look the part, these animals are not true crickets. And they’re in the same order, with the grasshoppers and true crickets, sharing the suborder with the latter.
- They’re not from Jerusalem. The origins of the name aren’t certain, but it’s thought that it comes either as a reference to the skull-shaped head (they’re also known as skull crickets), which is associated with skull hill in Jerusalem; or, comes from a watered-down swear word from the ‘40s and ‘50s.
- They can draw blood. And startle you should because when persistently disturbed, the Jerusalem cricket flips over onto its back and opens its powerful jaws.
- They can emit a foul odour. This intimidating display threatens genuine pain to anyone who ignores it, but as if that wasn’t clear enough, many taxa also produce some lovely anal discharge for an olfactory reminder not to feed on this animal.
Oct 18, 2022 · What is Jerusalem Cricket (Potato Bug)? Jerusalem crickets (Stenopelmatus fuscus) are large insects that look like a cross between a large ant and a fat wasp. Their ant-like appearance can look frightening to many people due to their large bulging head, small eyes, and long antennas.
Jerusalem cricket, (subfamily Stenopelmatinae), any of about 50 species of insects in the family Stenopelmatidae (order Orthoptera) that are related to grasshoppers and crickets. Jerusalem crickets are large, brownish, awkward insects that are found in Asia, South Africa, and both North and Central.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Nov 11, 2022 · The Jerusalem Cricket is a type of North American camel cricket, humpback and sandy tracks included. Updated: 11/11/2022; Authored By Staff Writer; Content ©www.InsectIdentification.org This slow-moving, humpbacked insect is often mistaken for a spider.
May 1, 2019 · Jerusalem crickets range in length from a respectable 2 cm to an impressive 7.5 cm (about 3 inches) and can weigh as much as 13 g. Most of these flightless crickets are brown or tan in color but have a striped abdomen with alternating bands of black and light brown. They're quite plump, with robust abdomens and large, round heads.
