A Jerusalem cricket is one of the creepiest animals you will ever see.
A year or two ago I was working under the table for a contractor, doing cosmetic work on the wooden furniture that he'd build. At the time we were working in an upscale house West of the Temecula winery region. Irrigation and hard work have transformed this area from rocky semi-desert mountains to lush, almost jungle-like slopes. The work was mind-numbing but it gave me a delicate touch, and every day I worked in an open garage overlooking scenery that was absolutely gorgeous — something you'd put on a postcard.
What I remember more vividly about that job than the scenery, though, is that it's the only place I've ever seen a live Jerusalem cricket.
When you see one of these things you take notice. Mine was enormous. So enormous that it made sound when it walked: I could hear the thing's footsteps as it lumbered along in the quiet garage. Upon closer inspection I was struck dumb by just how bizarre-looking it was.
Go here so you can see what I'm talking about. Take a good close look. This insect is two inches long — the same length as your pinky.
Now, I'm not a squeamish fellow. But when it comes to the little critters I am a bleeding heart. When I picked it up (behind the head) I almost dropped it on instinct because it felt so vile: overfilled and soft, like a water balloon. It was a strong bugger, too. It almost pried itself out of my grasp with its legs. While I took it to the soft earth its big head rolled around, black jaws biting angrily at air.
After I deposited the creature on a patch of moist soil I promptly washed my hands.
Stenopelmatus: The Jerusalem Cricket
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Anthropoda
Class Insecta
Order Orthoptera
Family Gryllacrididae
People have reported the discovery of an alien species after encountering a Jerusalem cricket.
Stenopelmati — also known as potato bugs and Jerusalem Crickets — and are found primarily in the western United States, along the Pacific coast, and south into Mexico, but also inhabit semi-arid climes worldwide.
First, don't let the names "Jerusalem cricket" or "potato bug" fool you. These are not bugs, and they do not feast chiefly on potatoes. Jerusalem crickets are nocturnal creatures which spend much of their lives underground, using their thick legs to burrow through moist soil and their large mandibles to consume decomposing organic matter near garden plants. While they are primarily scavengers, they will occasionally attack and eat other insects and may even be cannibalistic.
There's your moment of zen.
They dislike warm temperatures and dry air, so during the day you are most likely to find one beneath a piece of wood, or some other such place which stays cool and retains a lot of moisture. Occasionally they will wander into homes.
Potato bugs are poorly understood. Today they are largely unstudied. I had to do a lot of googling for this one.
In Mexico, the potato bug's humanoid face has earned it the name niño de la tierra: "child of the earth." Its intimidating overall appearance has garnered it an undeserved reputation as a fierce, poisonous monster-bug. While its mandibles can inflict a painful bite, it possesses no poison glands and is a solitary and unaggressive creature. When people get bitten by these things it's because they mishandle them.
While Jerusalem crickets may sometimes damage the root systems they scavenge, they never exist in large enough numbers to threaten entire crops. Populations are kept in check by cats, birds, plows, and garden hoses.
A Jerusalem cricket's life cycle can last up to three years. Coupling occurs after vigorous wrestling matches between the sexes; subsequently, large eggs are laid in groups beneath the soil. Developing Jerusalem crickets can molt as many as ten times during their stratospheric growth. Courtship in both sexes consists of drumming the squishy abdomen on the ground.
Sources
Author unknown. "Jerusalem Cricket." Wikipedia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_cricket>
Accessed 11/23/2005
Vandergast, Amy; Weissman, David; Caterino, Michael; Reeder, Tod; Fisher, Robert. "Phylogenetics of the Mahogany Jerusalem Cricket in Southern California." Western Ecological Research Center.
<http://www.werc.usgs.gov/sandiego/jerusalem-crickets.html>
Accessed 11/23/2005
Faulkner, David. "Stenopelmatus fuscus." San Diego Natural History Museum.
<http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/inverts/sten-fus.html>
Accessed 11/23/2005
Author unknown. "Jerusalem Cricket." Terminix Pest Library.
<http://www.terminix.com/Pest/Library/index.cfm?fuseaction=category&pestCategory= Occasional%20Invaders&pestID=167>
Accessed 11/24/2005
Author unknown. "Jerusalem Cricket." Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
<http://www.nhm.org/research/entomology/common_insect_la/jerusalem_cricket.htm>
Accessed 11/24/2005
Lindsey, Irene. "Jerusalem Cricket." Kaweahoaks.com.
<http://kaweahoaks.com/html/jerusalem_cricket.html>
Accessed 11/28/2005.
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