Bug FAQAustralian Black Field Cricket
Teleogryllus commodus · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Gryllidae
Also called: Black Field Cricket
Source: Wikipedia
Australian Black Field Crickets grow up to about 30 mm and are black or brown, with nymphs showing a white stripe on the abdomen. They live on rocky ground or cracked soil, often in groups, and are most active at night. These omnivores eat a wide range of plant material and can cause noticeable damage to pastures and garden plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are usually black or brown, while young crickets have a white stripe on their abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
They can reach up to 30 mm in length and have long antennae and strong jumping legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
They can cause significant damage to pastures and garden plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They prefer rocky surfaces or cracked ground that offers shelter from the sun and are active at night. Crickets tend to cluster together and will move into areas already occupied by others.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They are omnivores that mainly feed on plants, though their diet can be quite broad. Females need more protein for egg production, while males need energy-rich food for calling.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
They develop without a pupal stage, passing through egg, multiple nymph stages (about eight), and then adulthood. Female crickets age faster than males.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult males often change burrows every two days due to competition and may spend up to half the night calling.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species originates from Australia and is also found throughout New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oklahoma.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
What do Australian Black Field Crickets eat?
They are omnivores that mainly feed on plants, with females needing extra protein for eggs and males needing energy-rich food for calling.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are Australian Black Field Crickets found?
They are native to Australia and have also become established throughout New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gryllidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleogryllus_commodus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.