Gryllus bimaculatus (De Geer, 1773)

Status: Occasional casual introduction.

Description: Shiny, black-headed cricket.

Size: 17 - 23 mm

Wings: Both sexes have forewings extending beyond the tip of the abdomen. Female’s wings are almost black. Both these characteristics distinguish the species from the Field Cricket.

Stridulation: Series of loud, ringing chirps that come at a rate of several a second and can be heard from quite a long distance.

Food: Omnivorous.

Habitat: This species is not native to Britain and is bred in captivity as live food for reptiles. Temporary colonies sometimes build up from escapes or introductions, and are not associated with particular habitats.

Phenology: Can occur all year round.

Distribution: The records held by the National Biodiversity Network are shown in the map below.

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Only the following datasets are included:

• Biological Records Centre - Grasshopper and Cricket (Orthoptera) and related species records from Britain and Ireland to 2007

Other datasets on the gateway may hold additional information.