Members
of this family are collectively known as crickets and are
often only seen during the night, usually remaining concealed
during the day on the ground in leaf litter, among vegetation
or under logs and stones. They may be light or dark but
are usually drab coloured. They have long antennae and most
have long cerci, with females having a long rounded ovipositor.
Most crickets have well developed wings, which when not
in use are held flat across the top of the body and wrap
around the sides. Like grasshoppers, crickets also have
large hind legs for jumping.
Crickets
can often be heard chirping loudly on calm summer nights, especially
after a shower of rain. Rubbing specialised parts of the forewings
together produces this sound.
The
black field cricket is one of the most commonly encountered crickets,
especially in suburban yards. They are often encountered in groups
under rocks and logs or any other suitable shelter which may have
been laying around on the ground for a time. Adults are mostly
black to dark brown in colour and about 25 millimetres in length.
They have and large head with a pair of long thin antennae and
wings that are folded flat against the back and slightly curve
around the sides of the abdomen when at rest. Although capable
of flight, most black field crickets prefer to jump away quickly
when threatened rather than fly. A pair of hairy cerci can be
seen on the end of the abdomen and in females an ovipositor is
also present.
