Bug FAQAustralian Black Field Cricket
Teleogryllus commodus · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Gryllidae
Also called: Black Field Cricket
Source: Wikipedia
These crickets are black or brown and grow up to 30 mm with long antennae and powerful jumping legs. They live on rocky ground with many cracks, are active at night, and often gather in clusters that move between occupied shelters. As omnivores that mainly eat plants, they can cause noticeable damage to pastures and garden plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are usually black or brown in color. Young nymphs have a distinctive white stripe on the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
They can reach about 30 mm in length and have long antennae and legs for jumping.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
They can cause significant damage to pastures and gardens.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They prefer rocky surfaces or ground with many cracks that provide shelter from the sun. They are most active at night. They live in clusters and tend to occupy shelters already used by other crickets.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They are omnivores but mainly feed on plants. Females need more protein for egg production, while males need energy-rich food for calling.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
They develop without a pupal stage, passing through egg, multiple nymph stages (about eight), and then adulthood.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult males change burrows roughly every two days, often because of competition or lack of mates. Males may spend up to half the night calling.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
They are found throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oklahoma.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell an Australian Black Field Cricket apart from other insects?
Look for a black or brown adult body about 30 mm long with long antennae, and note that nymphs have a white stripe on the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Why are these crickets showing up in my garden?
They are attracted to rocky, cracked ground and tend to gather in clusters, and their plant-eating habits can damage garden vegetation.
Source: Wikipedia
Do male crickets call at night?
Yes, males can spend up to half the night producing calls to attract mates.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are Australian Black Field Crickets originally from?
They originated in Australia and have also become established in New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gryllidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleogryllus_commodus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.