Natural Phenomenon
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South Seas Companion
Natural Phenomenon
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Gryllidae |
| Gryllidae is the scientific name of the family of insects that include field and house crickets. |
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The Gryllidae are insects of the order Orthoptera, of which there are more than 20,000 species worldwide. Indeed, there are few ecosystems in which species of the order are not found, nor the calls of the male of the species heard. Orthoptera vary greatly in size from less than 5 mm to over 10 millimetres. Most species are plant eaters, but many will feed on plants and other insects. The order includes what historically have been some of the most harmful insects encountered by human societies, such as the plague locust. Among the Grylliade, field crickets have been known to reproduce in huge numbers given favourable climatic conditions, and to cause serious damage to cereal and fruit crops.
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Published by South Seas, 1 February 2004 Comments, questions, corrections and additions: Paul.Turnbull@jcu.edu.au Prepared by: Paul Turnbull Updated: 28 June 2004 To cite this page use: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-ss-biogs-P000120 |