#camptonotus

[crevicedwelling]

I thought you'd appreciate some photos of the beautiful Australian king cricket (not sure of exact species) I caught years ago

Her antennae were so long I literally couldn't get them fully in the frame!

She was just a catch and release. I did not keep her. I'd found her tangled in a mat of abandoned cobwebs on the porch (where she'd most likely been prowling for spiders or cockroaches to hunt) and spent about an hour slowly, painstakingly removing it all. Managed to not damage her at all in the process (she was very tangled up) which I will always be proud of - especially those antennae!

These crickets were really common in the regional area of Perth, Western Australia. I miss seeing them around now I've moved interstate.

(Also I'm holding her like that because these guys can bite to draw blood, they're predatory and their jaws are like bolt cutters - so flat hands, slow movements)

beautiful animal & good on you for saving her! looks like a raspy cricket (Gryllacrididae) to me, king crickets (Anostosomatidae) are typically wingless. I love both but there’s something extra vicious about gryllacridids that I just adore. plus the silk-spinning!

there’s only a single raspy cricket in the US, Camptonotus carolinensis, and while it is pretty small and plain compared to yours, still made me very happy to find for the first time last year. I might get a chance to see some tropical species this year, too!

I hope we can both run into more gryllacridids soon, wonderful bugs

[pseudomantis]

it almost looks like he has a stinger but i’m not sure what it is

Some kind of cricket? The closest I could find is the Carolina leaf roller cricket (camptonotus carolinensis) and the stinger is an ovipositor.