Diet

• Gryllidea is an infraorder of cricket-like insects with a broad range of feeding strategies.

• Many members are omnivorous, feeding on plant material, seeds, fruits, fungi, decaying vegetation and small invertebrates.

• Mole crickets may consume roots and other plant material as well as soil-dwelling invertebrates, while ant crickets have close associations with ants and obtain food within their nests.

• In the Zihuatanejo region, members of Gryllidea occupy a variety of feeding niches in leaf litter, vegetation, soil and other terrestrial habitats.

Range

• Gryllidea is distributed worldwide and is particularly diverse in tropical and subtropical regions.

• Its members occur throughout Mexico, including the Pacific coastal region and Guerrero.

• Gryllidea occurs in the Zihuatanejo region, where its representatives include crickets associated with vegetation, leaf litter, soil and other terrestrial habitats.

• The local fauna includes both widespread species and more geographically restricted tropical species.

Habitat

• Gryllidea occupies diverse terrestrial habitats, including tropical and dry forests, grasslands, agricultural areas, gardens, leaf litter and soil.

• Many true crickets live among vegetation or on the ground, while some species specialize in leaf litter, caves, decaying wood or other sheltered environments.

• Mole crickets are adapted to life underground, where they construct tunnels through soil.

• Ant crickets live in close association with ant colonies.

• In Zihuatanejo, suitable habitats include tropical dry forest, scrub, forest edges, gardens, grassland and moist areas around streams and other water sources.

Description

• Gryllidea includes true crickets and their relatives, including field crickets, tree crickets, scaly crickets, sword-tail crickets, mole crickets and ant crickets.

• Members are generally characterized by long, thread-like antennae and relatively long hind legs, although body form varies considerably among families.

• Many species have wings, with males of numerous cricket groups possessing specialized forewings used to produce calling songs by stridulation.

• Hearing organs are commonly located on the forelegs, allowing individuals to detect sounds produced by other crickets.

• The group includes both relatively robust ground-dwelling crickets and very small, delicate forms such as scaly and sword-tail crickets.

• Mole crickets are readily distinguished by their enlarged, shovel-like forelegs adapted for digging.