Chinese Fighting Cricket
Velarifictorus micado
A singing gladiator of the autumn night arena
Commonly called a cricket, the Chinese fighting cricket is dark brown with a round head and sharp jaws, star of China's cricket-fighting tradition. Males are fiercely territorial, baring their jaws when they meet; after dark they rub their forewings together for a clear, ringing call.
Key figures
- Length
- About 13–18 mm, dark brown body with a glossy sheen
- Life cycle
- One generation a year, overwintering as an egg in the soil
- Habitat
- Fields, cracks at the base of walls, and garden undergrowth; digs its own burrows
- Diet
- Omnivorous, eating tender leaves and seeds along with small insects
- Call
- The rhythm speeds up or slows down with temperature, so it can serve as a rough thermometer
- Contest outcome
- The winning male strikes up a victory call; the loser avoids fights for several days
Life cycle
Egg (overwinters in soil) → Nymph (multiple instars) → Adult (calls in autumn)
Ecological role
In the field, the Chinese fighting cricket eats tender weed leaves and young crop seedlings, occasionally becoming a minor pest, while also serving as common prey for frogs, birds, and spiders; its autumn calling and combative nature have made it a central species in East Asia's culture of insect-keeping as a pastime.
Did you know
When calling, its right wing sits on top, rasping the stridulatory file against the left scraper — katydids favor the opposite. Its 'ears' sit not on the head but as eardrums (tympana) on its front tibiae.
Range
Most of China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula; introduced to North America through shipped goods
Status
Common; the tradition of cricket fighting has continued since the Tang dynasty
Anatomy
- Stridulatory File — A row of fine teeth on the underside of the forewing (the stridulatory file) rasps against a scraper to produce sound
- Cercus — A pair of sensory feelers (cerci) projecting from the rear, detecting the faintest stir of air from behind
- Hindleg — Thick, muscular femora built for jumping, also used to kick an opponent during a fight
- Antenna — Thread-like and longer than the body, standing in for eyes when feeling around a dark burrow
- Compound Eye — Rounded with a wide field of view, though it stays hidden in its burrow for most of the day
- Head — Round and hard, the part two rival males slam together head to head in a contest
Open the interactive 3D specimen