Jerusalem cricket
- Also called:
- sand cricket
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 America. Examples of North American species include Stenopelmatus cahuilaensis and Ammopelmatus kelsoensis, which live in sand dunes in California, and Stenopelmatopterus sallei and Stenopelmatopterus sartorianus, which occur in certain regions of Mexico.
The Jerusalem cricket is active at night and spends the day in burrows beneath rocks or in sand. Its thick, heavily armoured front legs are used for digging. Some species of Jerusalem crickets, including S. cahuilaensis, A. muwu, and A. kelsoensis, have been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).