Insect · GBIF taxon 1688898
Pallas's Sand Cricket
Deracantha onosAlso known as Armored Ground Cricket, Mongolian Sand Cricket, Pallas's Armored Cricket
Pallas's Sand Crickets are massive, flightless armored katydids native to the dry steppes and semi-deserts of East Asia. Their spiky pronotum shields the head and torso, giving them a prehistoric appearance as they amble across sandy terrain in search of desert plants and organic matter. When disturbed, they produce dry rasping sounds by rubbing their reduced wings together and rely on thick exoskeleton armor for protection.
FlightlessArmoredSteppe Dweller
Licensed referenceJan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Steppe Grasses
- Desert Shrubs
- Plant Detritus
Predators
- Lizards
- Steppe Birds
- Small Rodents
ThreatsOvergrazing, habitat degradation, steppe fires
HabitatsArid steppes, semi-deserts, sandy plains
Life span1–2 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyTettigoniidae
- SpeciesDeracantha onos
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Spotting Cues: Watch for large, slow-moving insects crawling on open soil in dry grasslands at twilight.
- Handling Etiquette: Admire their ornate spiny exoskeleton without picking them up to avoid causing stress.
Ecological Counterpart no rights reserved · cc0
Image unavailableClose Relative 
Family Relative (c) onur kocatas, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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