Teleogryllus commodus
Silhouette: Thomas Hegna · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Teleogryllus commodus, commonly known as the black field cricket, is a cricket species native to Australia. They are significant pests to most plants in Australia and New Zealand. T. commodus belongs to the order Orthoptera, the family Gryllidae which are characterized by wings that are folded on the side of the body, chewing mouthparts and long, thin antennae. T. commodus has the ability to learn via the recognition of rewards. They are also capable of odour recognition and thus can be taught via odour pairing.
T. commodus can grow up to 30 mm long, with long antennas and legs adapted for jumping. Their coloration is usually black or brown. Nymphs can be recognized by a white stripe on the abdomen. Adult females are characterized by ovipositors which are long structures used for laying eggs. In contrast, males have modified veins in forewings with hard pegs that play a role in song production. Another fact about black field crickets is that their tegmina (leathery forewing) is asymmetrical.
T. commodus undergo hemimetabolous (the lack of pupal stage from larva to adult) development with 3 main stages: egg, nymph (multiple stages~8), and adulthood Females age faster... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Black Field Cricket sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 173 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 85th most-seen of the 875 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Black Field Cricket in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in June to December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australian Black Field Cricket sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Australian Black Field Cricket sightings, Melbourne ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same order: Orthoptera
The closest relatives of the Australian Black Field Cricket that you can see in Melbourne (order Orthoptera, Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids) are Wingless Grasshopper (about 10%), Giant Green Slantface (about 10%) and False Meadow Katydid (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Australian Black Field Cricket is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (173 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
