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Gryllus campestris 3.jpg
Female Gryllus campestris
Gryllus bimaculatus
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Gryllidae
Subfamily: Gryllinae
Genus: Gryllus
Linnaeus, 1758 [1]

Many, see text

Gryllus is a genus of field cricket (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Gryllinae). Members of the genus are typically 15–31 mm long and darkly coloured.[2]

Until the mid-1950s, native field crickets in eastern North America were all assigned to a single species, Acheta assimilis Fabricius. Although regional variation in calling song and life history were noted,[3][4] no morphological characters could be found to reliably distinguish these variants.[5] Building upon the pioneering work of Fulton,[4] Alexander [5] used male calling song, life history and crosses between putative species to revise the taxonomy of gryllines in the eastern United States, and recognized five species, although at the time they were still classified in the genus Acheta.


The genus contains the following species :[6][7]


  1. ^ "Gryllus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 
  2. ^ "Field crickets — Gryllus spp.". Featured Creatures. University of Florida. Retrieved 2009-02-10. 
  3. ^ Rehn, J.A.G., and Hebard, M. (1915). The genus Gryllus (Orthoptera) as found in America. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 67:292-322.
  4. ^ a b Fulton, B. B. 1952. Speciation in the field cricket. Evolution 6, 283-295.
  5. ^ a b Alexander, R.D. (1957). The taxonomy of the field crickets of the eastern United States (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Acheta). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 50:584-602.
  6. ^ "Gryllus". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2009-02-10. 
  7. ^ Species common names, BugGuide
  8. ^ Long-chirp field cricket, Singing Insects of North America (SINA)