Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex)
| Anabrus simplex | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Other common names | |
| Mormon shield-backed katydid | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Tettigoniidae |
| Subfamily: | Tettigoniinae |
| Tribe: | Platycleidini |
| Genus: | Anabrus |
| Scientific name | |
| Anabrus simplex Haldeman, 1852 | |
| Geography | |
| Native countries: | |
| Pest status | |
| Known pest | |
| Sound | |
 Listen to this species on xeno-canto and SINA | |
The Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) is a shield-backed katydid native to western North America. Although flightless due to its nonfunctional wings, it is highly mobile and capable of extensive seasonal movement. Known for its gregarious nature, the Mormon cricket is most notable for forming dense, migratory bands. These high-density swarms pose a significant agricultural threat within their native range.
Taxonomy
For full nomenclature and taxonomic details of this taxon, see Orthoptera Species File
Identification
The Mormon cricket belongs to the subfamily Tettigoniinae, which is part of the family Tettigoniidae (katydids or bush crickets). These "long-horned” grasshoppers are easily recognized by their extremely long, thread-like antennae, which often extend well beyond the tip of the abdomen. Their wings are typically held roof-like over the body, resembling the shape of a house, and they are usually green or brown, blending into vegetation. These insects have chewing mouthparts and feed on the leaves of host plants.[1]
Key distinguishing features include 4-segmented tarsi (4-4-4, unlike the 3-3-3 pattern in true crickets), tympana located on the front tibiae (used for hearing), and in females, a flattened, sword-like ovipositor for laying eggs. Adult males attract mates by producing characteristic chirping sounds.[2]
Check out this Key to Families and Subfamilies of Katydids by the Orthopterists' Society.
Identification details
The Mormon cricket is not a true cricket, but a species of shield-backed katydid. Unlike many of its katydid relatives, it is completely flightless and ground-dwelling. It has long antennae and a smooth, shiny body. Its short forewings are usually hidden beneath the pronotum, though in some males they may extend slightly beyond it. The pronotum features distinct lateral and median ridges toward the rear, and the hind femur is no more than twice its length. Adult males have bifurcated cerci with a right-angle bend and a thumb-like tooth, while females have small, cone-shaped cerci, rear-angled teeth on the subgenital plate, and a straight or slightly curved ovipositor. Nymphs begin black and gradually darken or turn brown as they mature. Adults range in size from 28 to 45 mm and may appear in brick red, brown, dark brown, olive green, or black. Typically, band-forming individuals are darker, while solitary forms are green.[3][4][5][6]
Highlighted resources
Identification resources
Distribution
The Mormon cricket inhabits western North American rangelands, from eastern California to northern New Mexico, north to southern British Columbia and Manitoba.[4] Large populations concentrate in sagebrush dominated grasslands in the Great Basin region and some western mountain ranges, including the Rocky Mountains. [5]
For more information and distribution records see [GBIF]
Biology
Mormon crickets are flightless yet highly mobile insects. Their short, nonfunctional wings restrict movement to crawling and hopping. In the early nymphal stages, they move frequently in search of food and shelter, though their range remains limited. As they mature, older nymphs and adults can form dense, coordinated migratory bands that travel steadily in a single direction, covering up to half a mile to a mile per day and between 25 to 50 miles over a season. [3]
Typically, there is one generation per year. Eggs are laid in summer and complete embryonic development by fall, entering a state of diapause over winter. At higher elevations, development may be delayed, postponing hatching by an additional year. Nymphs hatch in early spring from the previous summer’s eggs, often when soil temperatures reach as low as 40°F, earlier than most grasshopper species. Adults are generally present from June through September.[4][3]
Mormon crickets pass through seven instars, requiring about 60 to 90 days to reach adulthood in late spring. Ten to fourteen days after reaching maturity, males begin to attract mates by producing sound. [3] During mating, the male transfers a spermatophore to the female, which she partially absorbs. She then consumes the remaining portion, gaining protein that is essential for egg development. [7] This nutritional contribution is unusually substantial among male insects and plays a key role in offspring growth and survival. [8]
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Habitat and ecology
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The Mormon cricket is often found across North American rangelands in open sparsely vegetated areas. [4] It prefers habitat dominated by sagebrush and forb plants.[9] They may also be found in mixed grasslands, shortgrass grasslands, and both broadleaf and coniferous forests.[10]
A Mormon cricket’s diet can include a remarkably diverse range of plant species, along with seeds, fungi, and other arthropods. Nymphs and adults both display a preference for succulent forbs, and the species considers milkvetches, penstemon, arrowleaf balsamroot, dandelion, and wild mustards to be favorites. They may additionally feed on sagebrush and saltbush, found abundantly within their preferred range.[11] Their appetite increases as they mature and they can expand their diet from low-value broadleaf plants to any agricultural crop. [4]
A variety of species prey on Mormon crickets, such as birds, rodents, wasps, and a small collection of parasitic organisms.[10] Of these, birds historically exert the most natural control over cricket populations.[9] Migrating Mormon crickets may also provide a significant prereproductive food source for native and nonnative stream fishes in some states, including a handful of endangered species.[12]
Mormon crickets are active during the day and rest on the ground or in bushes at night. They rely on behavioral adaptations to survive cold and unpredictable spring weather. Nymphs shelter under shrubs, in litter, soil cracks, or beneath debris like dung. On mild mornings, they emerge after sunrise to bask on the east side of vegetation, warming up before feeding and forming migratory bands. In the evening, they bask again on the west side before retreating to shelter. On cold, wet, or windy days, they remain hidden. Adults follow similar patterns, basking and feeding in the morning, then migrating at high densities when soil temperatures reach 76°–105°F. If midday heat exceeds 110°F, they seek refuge in shrubs until conditions cool.[4] [10] [3]
Land-use change
Mormon cricket reproductive success, and therefore density, is highly dependent on temperature. Increasing temperatures from climate change may cause the population of Mormon crickets in the United States and Canada to swell or crash in the future.[13]
Pest Status
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The Mormon cricket was first recognized as an agricultural pest by Mormon settlers in the Great Salt Lake Basin in 1848. Although there are no official records of crop damage from this early outbreak, accounts describe migratory bands of the insect devastating crop fields before gulls helped control their numbers through predation. The insect was named after this initial recorded event. See the Utah page for more of the story.[9]
Click here to watch the opera Miracles: A Mormon, a Seagull, and a Cricket Walk Into a Bar… which reimagines the Mormon legend of seagulls saving settlers from crickets, using myth and music to explore how faith, science, and perspective shape our understanding of nature and truth.
Migrating nymph and adult Mormon crickets can cause significant damage to agriculture and grazing areas. Individuals may only remain in a field for three to four days, and can cause damage ranging from barely measurable to noticeably severe, depending on density.[3] Mormon cricket target wheat,[14] but may also attack alfalfa, barley, sugarbeets, sweetclover, small grains, and garden vegetables.[3]
Mechanical barriers may prove ineffective as a means of control, as migrating bands will attempt to climb over artificial structures rather than altering the migration path to avoid them.[9] At the request of government agencies or private parties, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) may provide chemical control or insecticides to treat infested rangelands.[15] The Mormon cricket is included in the top dozen species of grasshoppers monitored by APHIS because of its impact on rangelands.
Outbreaks
Mormon cricket outbreaks develop gradually, with populations increasing from fewer than one individual per square yard in mountain habitats to as many as 100 adults per square yard over several years. Once densities reach outbreak levels, the insects begin large-scale migrations into foothills, rangelands, and croplands. These outbreaks can be long-lasting, often persisting for 5 to 21 years. [3]
A recent major outbreak of Mormon crickets occurred in 2006, with 10 million acres in Nevada being affected by the insects. However, due to the migratory nature of Mormon cricket nymphs and adults, local minor outbreaks are common.[16] Some news and media organizations in Nevada have reported large bands of individuals moving through populated areas throughout the late spring and early summer of 2024.[17] Similar outbreaks previously occurred in the same areas a year prior.[18]
Significant outbreaks occurred during a 17 year period between 1931 and 1948. At its peak in 1938, 19 million acres of crops across 11 states were affected. Damage in Montana and Wyoming alone in 1937 is estimated to have cost around $883,000.[3] Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon suffered significant losses during this outbreak, and Mormon cricket populations in these areas vastly outnumbered other grasshopper pests. Much of the information on this species’ ecology was collected in field studies as a portion of government control efforts in response to this outbreak.[14]
Outbreak media coverage
| Title | Author(s) | Year | Geographic purview | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USDA APHIS grasshopper newspaper bundle from outbreaks in the 1980s | United States Department of Agriculture and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service | 1980s | ||
| Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Outbreak Media | Oregon Department of Agriculture | 2022 | ||
| Grasshoppers wreak havoc | Christine Souza | 2023 | ||
| Mormon cricket 'sludge' blankets northern Nevada roads causing crashes | 2024 |
Associated organizations
| Organization name | Acronym | Website | Type | Focus | Focus keywords | Geographic purview |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APHIS PPQ Science & Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (Phoenix Station) | IMMDL | View | Government | Research, Management | Management, Natural sciences | United States |
| National Grasshopper Management Board | NGMB | View | Non-profit Organization | Governance, Management | Coordination, Natural sciences | United States |
| Nevada Department of Agriculture | NDA | View | Government | Governance, Management | Monitoring, Management, Forecasting | United States |
Resources
Specimen contributors for this species
Natural history collections are built by people. The specimens that document this species were collected in the field, preserved in collections, and identified by generations of researchers and naturalists. Bionomia helps make these often-overlooked contributions visible by linking specimen records to the people behind them.
The contributors shown here are drawn from specimen records made available through GBIF and attributed to individuals by Bionomia.
Collected by
These people collected specimens of this species in the field, helping build the physical record of where and when it has occurred.
- lucas wheeler — 16 specimens collected
- John Powers — 13 specimens collected
- Selim Peabody — 5 specimens collected
- Austin Kelly — 3 specimens collected
- Gregory Pappas — 2 specimens collected
Identified by
These people examined specimens and determined their taxonomic identity—an essential step in turning a collected specimen into a useful biodiversity record.
- Tyler Grant — 89 specimens identified
- John Powers — 19 specimens identified
- lucas wheeler — 16 specimens identified
- Austin Kelly — 3 specimens identified
- Gregory Pappas — 2 specimens identified
References
- ↑ North Carolina State University Department of Entomology (n.d.) Family Tettigoniidae – ENT 425 General Entomology. https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/insect-identification/order-orthoptera/family-tettigoniidae/
- ↑ BugGuide (n.d.) Family Tettigoniidae – Katydids. Iowa State University. https://bugguide.net/node/view/164
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Pfadt RE (1994) Mormon Cricket 'Anabrus simplex' Haldeman. Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 912. Species Fact Sheet. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/30320505/grasshopper/Extras/PDFs/Species%20Fact%20Sheets/MormonCr.pdf
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Capinera JL, Scott RD, Walker TJ (2005) Field guide to grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets of the United States. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 280 pp.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wakeland C (1959) Mormon Crickets in North America. United States Department of Agriculture. Technical Bulletin 1202, 77pp.
- ↑ Schell SP, Latchininsky AV, Shambaugh BA (2005) Common Wyoming Pest Grasshoppers. 2nd Edition B-1161.Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service and Department of Renewable Resources. 76 p. https://hopperwiki.org/images/5/51/Common_Wyoming_Pest_Grasshoppers.pdf
- ↑ Gwynne DT (1993) Food Quality Controls Sexual Selection in Mormon Crickets by Altering Male Mating Investment. Ecology 74: 1406–1413.
- ↑ Gwynne DT (1984) Sexual Selection and Sexual Differences in Mormon Crickets (orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Anabrus Simplex). Evolution 38: 1011–1022. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1984.tb00371.x
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Cowan FT (1929) Life History, Habits, and Control of the Mormon Cricket. United States Department of Agriculture. Technical Bulletin 161, 28pp.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Capinera JL, MacVean CM (1987) Ecology and management of Mormon cricket, Anabrus simplex Haldeman. Final report to the National Park Service. Department of Entomology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. April 1987. https://www.nativefishlab.net/library/textpdf/17378.pdf
- ↑ Ueckert DN, Hansen RM (1970) Seasonal Dry-Weight Composition in Diets of Mormon Crickets. Journal of Economic Entomology 63: 96–98.
- ↑ Tyus HM, Minckley WL (1988) Migrating Mormon Crickets, Anabrus simplex (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), as Food for Stream Fishes. The Great Basin Naturalist 48: 25–30.
- ↑ Srygley RB (2014) Effects of temperature and moisture on Mormon cricket reproduction with implications for responses to climate change. Journal of Insect Physiology 65: 57–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.05.005
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Swain R (1948) Nature and Extent of Mormon Cricket Damage to Crop and Range Plants. United States Department of Agriculture. Technical Bulletin 866, 44pp.
- ↑ Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (2021) Protecting U.S. Rangeland From Grasshoppers and Mormon Crickets. United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fs-grasshoppers-mormon-crickets.pdf
- ↑ Johnson W, Macknet D Identification and Management of Mormon Crickets. Extension | University of Nevada, Reno. Available from: https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=2346 (June 13, 2024).
- ↑ Bleakley C (2024) Mormon cricket ‘sludge’ blankets northern Nevada roads causing crashes. KLAS 8 News Now. Available from: https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/mormon-cricket-sludge-blankets-northern-nevada-roads-causing-crashes/ (June 13, 2024).
- ↑ Gilbert A, Bigler K (2024) Mormon cricket infestation has returned for spring. KUTV. Available from: https://kutv.com/news/local/mormon-cricket-infestation-has-returned-for-spring-elko-nevada-infestation-invasion-bug-bugs-sludge (June 13, 2024).