''Ammopelmatus navajo'', commonly known as the Navajo Jerusalem cricket, is a species of nocturnal

Jerusalem cricket Jerusalem crickets (or potato bugs) are a group of large, flightless insects in the genera ''Ammopelmatus'' and ''Stenopelmatus'', together comprising the tribe Stenopelmatini. The former genus is native to the western United States and parts ...

in the family Stenopelmatidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, specifically

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, and found under rocks in loose

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

. It is closely related to ''A. fuscus'' and they have nearly identical drumming patterns. They live one to two years as adults, but can die prematurely by

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

infections, commonly by the

horsehair worm Nematomorpha (sometimes called Gordiacea, and commonly known as horsehair worms, hairsnakes, or Gordian worms) are a phylum of parasitoid animals superficially similar to nematode worms in morphology, hence the name. Most species range in size ...

Description

It is very large, compared to others of the same genus, with a pale, sand coloration that provides camouflage in sand dunes. Like all Jerusalem crickets, they are wingless. They use their strong, spiny legs to burrow rapidly when disturbed. This species has a wide head and powerful jaws that deliver painful, but non-venomous bites.

References

Stenopelmatoidea Orthoptera of North America Endemic fauna of Arizona Endemic insects of the United States Insects described in 1978 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{stenopelmatidae-stub