Rhaphidophoridae

Lore & Background

Most cave crickets have very large hind legs with drumstick-shaped femora and long, thin tibiae, and long, slender antennae that arise closely together on the head. They are brownish, humpbacked in appearance, and always wingless, with bodies up to 5 cm and legs up to 10 cm. Early instars may appear translucent. They are commonly found in caves, old mines, and other cool, damp environments such as rotten logs, stumps, hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards, and logs. Occasionally they become nuisances in basements, drains, sewers, wells, and firewood stacks. One Asian species, the greenhouse camel cricket, has become a tramp species in hothouses in Europe and North America. Some species reach alpine areas near permanent ice, such as the Mount Cook 'flea' (Pharmacus montanus) in New Zealand.

Reader's Guide

Rhaphidophoridae are ecologically significant as primarily scavengers that consume plant, animal, and fungal material. Their distinctive limbs and antennae serve a double purpose: in lightless environments or at night, they rely heavily on touch, and they often jump to avoid predation. The group known as 'sand treaders' is restricted to sand dunes, active only at night, and burrows into sand by day to minimize water loss. In California and Utah dunes, they serve as food for scorpions and LeConte's thrasher. Cave and camel crickets are of little economic importance except as nuisance invaders in buildings, especially basements. A representation of a female Troglophilus has been found engraved on a bison bone in the Cave of the Trois-Frères, suggesting they were present around prehistoric humans.

Did You Know?

• All species of Rhaphidophoridae are flightless and nocturnal.
• More than 500 species of Rhaphidophoridae have been described.