About Gryllus campestris Linnaeus, 1758
Gryllus campestris Linnaeus, 1758, called the European field cricket, or simply the field cricket in the British Isles, is the type species of crickets in its genus and the tribe Gryllini. These dark-colored, flightless insects are comparatively large. Males measure between 19 and 23 mm in length, while females range from 17 to 22 mm. Gryllus campestris was once common across most of Western Europe. It favors dry, sunny sites with short vegetation, particularly dry grasslands. At the northern edge of its range, the species is only found on heathlands and oligotrophic grasslands. Because this flightless species cannot migrate long distances, it does not usually recover naturally from local extinction events. Gryllus campestris is a univoltine species with a reproductive season that runs from May to July. Males dig a burrow with a platform at the entrance, and they use stridulation (courtship chirping) from this position to attract females. Males chirp during the day and the first part of the night, only when the temperature is well above 13 °C (55 °F). Nymphs hatch from June through mid-July, and hibernate during their tenth or eleventh instar. The nymphs undergo their final moult at the end of April or the beginning of May. Males are territorial and will fiercely defend their burrows. Females are vagrant, and are drawn to calling males. Females lay their eggs in bare ground, either inside a male's burrow or close to it. Known populations of G. campestris experience extreme population fluctuations, and are heavily impacted by weather conditions.
