About the Southern Field Cricket
Gryllus bimaculatus is a species of cricket in the subfamily Gryllinae. Most commonly known as the two-spotted cricket, it has also been called the "African" or "Mediterranean field cricket", although its recorded distribution also includes much of Asia, including China and Indochina through to Borneo. It can be discriminated from other Gryllus species by the two dot-like marks on the base of its wings.
The species is popular for use as a food source for insectivorous animals like spiders and reptiles kept as pets or in zoos. They are easy to raise and do not require prolonged exposure to cold in order to complete their life cycle.
The first genome assembly of Gryllus bimaculatus was published in 2021, with a genome size of approximately 1.66 Gb and 17,871 annotated protein-coding genes. A chromosome-level genome assembly of Gryllus bimaculatus was published in 2026. The genome size is approximately 1.66 Gb, with most of the assembly anchored to 15 chromosomes. The assembly has a BUSCO completeness of 98.7%, and 14,457 protein-coding genes were predicted.
In the wild, male crickets do not tolerate one another and will fight until there is... Wikipedia →