Greenhouse camel cricket

Description

Tachycines asynamorus is a cave cricket and the type species of the genus Tachycines (Rhaphidophoridae). In English-speaking countries it is known as the greenhouse camel cricket or greenhouse stone cricket for its propensity for living in greenhouses. It was first described in 1902 by Russian entomologist Nicolai Adelung. Some authorities have placed this species in the genus Diestrammena, but it has now restored to its basonym. Tachycines asynamorus is a medium-sized, apterous camel cricket. Its body length ranges from 11.3-14.6 mm (0.4-0.6 in). It has very long antennae, palps, and cerci. The female has a long, gently upcurved ovipositor, 10.7-12 mm (0.4-0.5 in) in length. Originating in the caves of eastern Asia, it is omnivorous, sometimes carnivorous, or a scavenger of dead insects and other organic material. It is native to Asia, including Korea, but has long been found especially in heated European greenhouses. People in the United States were asked to survey their homes for presence or absence of camel crickets such as those of this genus and return photographs and/or specimens to North Carolina State University for further research. Researchers including Rob Dunn have found that introduced greenhouse camel crickets were reported much more commonly than the native North American camel crickets of the genus Ceuthophilus. Tachycines is a genus of camel crickets in the subfamily Aemodogryllinae and tribe Aemodogryllini. Some authorities had placed the type species, T. asynamorus, in the genus Diestrammena, but recent papers returned this to the subgenus Tachycines (Tachycines), with a substantial number of new species recently described. Species have a discontinuous distribution in Europe and eastern Asia (China, Korea, Japan), with species in subgenus Gymnaeta also found Indo-China and the Philippines. European records appear to refer to Tachycines asynamorus: the cosmopolitan 'greenhouse camel cricket', which has also spread to the USA.