Insect · GBIF taxon 1729551
Square-legged Camel Cricket
Tropidischia xanthostomaAlso known as Square-legged Cave Cricket
Square-legged camel crickets navigate the damp, moss-draped floor of Pacific Northwest temperate forests using exceptionally long, delicate antennae that far exceed their body length. Wingless and silent, they hide inside moist rock crevices, rotting nurse logs, and cave entrances by day before foraging at night. When disturbed, their sharply four-angled hind legs deliver explosive, erratic leaps of several feet to startle and evade woodland predators.
NocturnalForest FloorFlightless
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Fleshy Fungi
- Decaying Foliage
- Dead Arthropods
Predators
- Ensatina
- Trowbridge's Shrew
- Pacific Giant Salamander
ThreatsDeforestation, logging of old-growth canopies, and microclimate desiccation
HabitatsTemperate coastal rainforests, old-growth conifer stands, damp caves, and rock grottos
Life span1–2 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderOrthoptera
- FamilyRhaphidophoridae
- GenusTropidischia
- SpeciesTropidischia xanthostoma
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Harmless to humans; safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Night Exploration: Use a red-filtered flashlight when inspecting moist decaying logs to avoid startling them.
- Gentle Inspection: Watch them without touching, as their long limbs break easily if snagged.
Predator (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Frequent Companion Thomas Schoch / CC BY-SA 2.5 · cc-by-sa
Predator (c) andrewnydam, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Image unavailableClose Relative
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Mystic Meadows
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