The Myrmecophilidae or ant-loving crickets are rarely encountered relatives of

mole cricket Mole crickets are members of the insect family Gryllotalpidae, in the order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets). Mole crickets are cylindrical-bodied, fossorial insects about long as adults, with small eyes and shovel-like fore ...

s, and are obligate

inquiline In zoology, an inquiline (from Latin ''inquilinus'', "lodger" or "tenant") is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms such as insects may live in the h ...

s within

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

nests. They are very small, wingless, and flattened, so resemble small

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are a Paraphyly, paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are we ...

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label= Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

s. The few genera contain fewer than 100 species. Ant crickets are yellow, brown, or nearly black in color. They do not produce sound, and lack both wings and tympanal organs ("ears") on the front tibia.

Tribes and genera

The ''Orthoptera Species File'' lists two subfamilies:Orthoptera Species File (Version 5.0/5.0)
/ref>

Bothriophylacinae

Auth.: Miram, 1934; distribution: northern Africa, western Asia * tribe Bothriophylacini Miram, 1934 **'' Bothriophylax'' Miram, 1934 **'' Eremogryllodes'' Chopard, 1929 * tribe Microbothriophylacini Gorochov, 2017 **'' Microbothriophylax'' Gorochov, 1993

Myrmecophilinae

Auth.: Saussure, 1874; distribution: global * tribe Myrmecophilini Saussure, 1874 **'' Myrmecophilus'' Berthold, 1827 **'' Myrmecophilellus'' Uvarov, 1940 * ''

Incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' ** † Araripemyrmecophilops Martins-Neto, 1991 ** Camponophilus Ingrisch, 1995

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ant Cricket Ensifera Extant Jurassic first appearances