# cricket mutation?



## Galapoheros (Apr 14, 2012)

I raise my own feeders.  I was feeding out a cricket the other day and saw that it had really short back legs.  I regretted feeding it out.  I found 2 more, they are on the right, the normal one is on the left.  I will prob find more, I have 1000s.  I'm going to try to find enough and isolate them, breed them and see what happens. It'd be nice to have crix that don't escape as easily.  These are Sup crix btw.  I really like these, no smell at all over here, except a cat that snuck in an hour ago and sprayed something, I hate that.  I just realized it might be poss that they lost their back legs before a molt and grew back smaller ones with the next molt.  But I would bet that's not the case, have to wait and see.


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## Introvertebrate (Apr 14, 2012)

They're Gryllus assimilis?  Where did you get them?


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## AzJohn (Apr 14, 2012)

I've seen the same thing. I imagine that it is some attempt to get a hybrid feeder that will have some immunuty to the cricket disease. (not sure if it's even possible, total guess on my part). Maybe the feeder company is trying to slowly switch over to the new cricket. That way people don't freak out when all of the crickets are new at once.


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## Introvertebrate (Apr 14, 2012)

By all accounts Gryllus assimilis is completely immune to the cricket disease.  I'm not aware of them having shorter legs though.


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## ZephAmp (Apr 14, 2012)

This species isn't G. assimilis; it's another species of potentially African origin that is the "super cricket". G. assimilis is what the cricket breeders are switching over to, though.


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## lizardminion (Apr 14, 2012)

Well, after several thousand years of domestication, we say goodbye by to _Acheta domestica_, huh...


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## ZergFront (Apr 14, 2012)

Super crickets, huh? I'll have to put an order of them in next time. Right now I have more feeders than mouths for weeks. X-D

 Is there a really large cricket species available for bulk purchase in the US? I can't even find a colony of field crickets. I'm always trying to expand my variation of feeders. I'm researching green banana roaches now.


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## Introvertebrate (Apr 14, 2012)

ZephAmp said:


> This species isn't G. assimilis; it's another species of potentially African origin that is the "super cricket". G. assimilis is what the cricket breeders are switching over to, though.


Maybe its the "Crazy Red" that's mentioned on Ghann's website?

http://www.ghann.com/gryllus_info.cfm


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## Galapoheros (Apr 14, 2012)

Yeah Kyle found that at Ghann's site, a local pet store was selling them as feeders, many stores were selling them and I think some still do.  But are these wild in Florida?  I've seen the info on the internet, people will quote it but I just don't know what to believe atm.


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## ZephAmp (Apr 14, 2012)

Galapoheros said:


> Yeah Kyle found that at Ghann's site, a local pet store was selling them as feeders, many stores were selling them and I think some still do.  But are these wild in Florida?  I've seen the info on the internet, people will quote it but I just don't know what to believe atm.


From the cricket species I saw in Sorrento, Florida, I can't recall any of them looking remotely like the "super crix." I did, however, see a few G. assimilis out there.


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## zonbonzovi (Apr 14, 2012)

"Primarily in tropical regions, but sometimes imported into other areas with produce or cargo. Established in Peninsular Florida, southernmost Texas, and near the coast in southern California."

From: http://bugguide.net/node/view/245323

More: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/483a.htm


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## Galapoheros (Apr 14, 2012)

Hey Zon I found another range map yesterday that pinpointed the so called population in California but I can't find it right now.  Yeah Zeph, I'm a little puzzled too so far because I've seen pics of ones in Florida and well, I know color is not that important but even besides the color, the shape of the head the bulk of them, they just look diff to me also.  Might as well just go with it atm though.


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## Tarantel (Apr 15, 2012)

Just be careful if it starts shooting laser beams out of its eyes or absorbing the other crickets powers.


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## Galapoheros (Apr 17, 2012)

Here are a couple of short-legged mature males.  They aren't going to make "any" noise with those.  Hmm, no noise, no smelly die-offs, can't jump very high, sounds good to me!  'll try the breeding thing and see how it goes.  Hope they aren't sterile of course, and they won't need to make noise with the females already close by, I would guess anyway. 








Here's a pic next to a normal male.


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## cacoseraph (Apr 17, 2012)

pretty awesome, hopefully something cool will come of it


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## Malhavoc's (Apr 17, 2012)

I believe they make sound by rubbing their wings together, not their legs. so they may still yet produce sound


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## Galapoheros (Apr 17, 2012)

Malhavoc's said:


> I believe they make sound by rubbing their wings together, not their legs. so they may still yet produce sound


They rub the fore wings together, not the hind wings underneath.  But notice how they are small, mutated compared to the normal male I threw in for the last pic for comparing.  They can't make noise with those.  So it looks like whatever is causing the short-legged thing is related to having short fore wings.  I haven't had a short-legged female mature yet, curious about that.


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## Introvertebrate (Apr 17, 2012)

They do look a little like the crazy reds on the Ghann's website.  Not that that's a bad thing.


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## Galapoheros (Apr 17, 2012)

I don't have much doubt they are the crazy reds, but I can't get myself to trust 100% the other claims there either.


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## axle37 (Apr 19, 2012)

that would be nice. i've already started a dubia colony so i won't have to worry about the smell the crickets made, but i might start a colony if its true the smell is reduced and jumping is hindered by leg length.


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## dtknow (Apr 19, 2012)

I have seen those crickets before. You are right, the chirp is little more than a scratching now. This was when I was young and doing some little science fair project...but they pop up every so often.

It'll be interesting to see what happens-but I wonder if fertility problems may arise.


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## Galapoheros (Apr 19, 2012)

So far I've found 11 of the oompa loompa crickets, I'm going to set up a small container today.  Yeah that was brought up earlier, the fertility thing, just have to wait and see, still haven't had a female mature yet.  I hope the females have short wings so that they can't fly.  The normal ones can hop and fly, at least a little.  One flew out while I was next to the container that has 1000s in it, I would too.  Man I have too much going on over here, I'm going to have to sell some things.


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## Malhavoc's (Apr 23, 2012)

Out of curiousity, has the idea of a parasite/virus been thought of, something thats effecting development?


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## Galapoheros (Apr 24, 2012)

I guess it could be, it barely crossed my mind.  It's that the features are the same on them all, not random things so I was leaning genetic.  The first female of these matured today, a mal-formed ovipositor, I don't think that will work.


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## Galapoheros (Sep 1, 2012)

It's been a generation or two, don't really know, but the noise and jump challenged crickets have produced more of the same.  All have had short wings, mostly short legs that I've seen so far.  I did not think the wings would produce any sound at all but like dtknow said, there is a really quiet sound when they try.  I'm going to set up these, but going to keep the regs going also.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Alejandro45 (Sep 1, 2012)

This is excellent..I really love roaches as a group but for feeders crickets are far better. Keep up the good work Galapoheros! My bet is you could sell them all off for a MINT to timberline or ghanns whom ever pays the highest.


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## Galapoheros (Sep 2, 2012)

Hmm I don't know, I may have to keep them for myself, mostly because there seems to be an ID issue though they sell them in some pet stores, that's where I got them but they don't have any now.

btw I tested them, chased them on the rug.  They are mostly runners, only hopping 3 or 4 inches now and then.  The norms look like they can hop between 1 and 2 feet.


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## Introvertebrate (Sep 2, 2012)

You may recall that Ghann's switched from Acheta domesticus to the virus free Gryllus assimilis.  Well, it turns out that they were getting slower growth times and lower yields with G. assimilis, so now they're switching to yet a _third_ species.  The "Banded Cricket" or Gryllodes sigillatus.

http://www.ghann.com/new_crickets.cfm


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## Galapoheros (Sep 2, 2012)

I remember, I think I understand the "lower yield" aspect.  If you don't feed them pretty regularly, they have no prob eating each other so it looks like they start to disappear, low yield on a commercial end, for some.  I feed these every day, they eat a lot but the best feeder I've raised, personally.  Here's the container, hard to believe but it only smells like musty dirt in there.  Crix are kind of interesting to watch, they are pretty savvy for an insect imo.  When they come in contact with a T, scorpion, centipede, etc. they know it's bad news, backing up like a cautious mammal.  Sometimes they will try to find the highest spot in the cage to sit and watch out for that monster.

Reactions: Like 1


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## bizzely (Nov 13, 2012)

Where did you get them? Would you sell some? i've been looking every where for a larger feeder cricket bu no one has them any more or wont ship to PA!


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## Tleilaxu (Nov 13, 2012)

Those are the Jamaican Field cricket gryllus assimils. Be careful these are rather nasty.


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## VictorHernandez (Nov 13, 2012)

I got some strange crickets like that today.


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## Galapoheros (Nov 13, 2012)

Tleilaxu said:


> Those are the Jamaican Field cricket gryllus assimils. Be careful these are rather nasty.


That article is a little dramatic ime/imo.  I do agree that responsible feeding means taking out any crickets that are not eaten, domesticus also, and these to have bigger jaws.  I think that's the only big problem, that is letting uneaten feeders roam around, they will get hungry and start trying to take a bite of things, seen that happen.  But other than that, when feeding lizards and inverts; tarantulas, vinegarones and scorpions, I've never seen a problem.  Centipedes can have some problems because the crickets, along with domesticus, tend to turn around and kick, some centipedes experience that and learn to avoid crickets(apparently I should say) unless they are really hungry so I try to remember to take off the spiky leg segment first for centipedes.


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## bugmankeith (Nov 15, 2012)

Why in the article do they say the house cricket is near extinction, all of mine are healthy if kept in proper conditions, I've seen them survive outside in the summer and in my basement all year if they escape, they are tough!


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## Introvertebrate (Nov 16, 2012)

Tleilaxu said:


> Those are the Jamaican Field cricket gryllus assimils. Be careful these are rather nasty.


Nope.  Crazy Reds (Gryllus locorojo) are the nasty ones


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