cricket mutation?

[Malhavoc's]

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

[Galapoheros]

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.

[Introvertebrate]

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

[Galapoheros]

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.

[axle37]

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.

[dtknow]

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.

[Galapoheros]

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.

[Malhavoc's]

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

[Galapoheros]

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.

[Galapoheros]

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.

[Alejandro45]

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.

[Galapoheros]

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.

[Introvertebrate]

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

[Galapoheros]

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.

[bizzely]

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!