House cricket

House cricket
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Clade:Euarthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Orthoptera
Suborder:Ensifera
Family:Gryllidae
Genus:Acheta
Species: A. domesticus
Binomial name
Acheta domesticus

Acheta domesticus, commonly called the house cricket, is a cricket most likely native to Southwestern Asia, but between 1950 and 2000 it became the standard feeder insect for the pet and research industries and spread worldwide.[2][3] but can be kept as pets themselves, as this has been the case in China and Japan.[4]

Description

The house cricket is typically gray or brownish in color, growing to 16–21 millimetres (0.63–0.83 in) in length. Males and females look similar, but females will have an ovipositor emerging from the rear, around 12 millimetres (0.47 in) long. The ovipositor is brown-black, and is surrounded by two appendages. On males, the cerci are also more prominent.[5]

Life cycle

House crickets take two to three months to complete their life cycle at 26 to 32 °C (79 to 90 °F). They have no special overwintering stage, but can survive cold weather in and around buildings, and in dumps where heat from fermentation may sustain them. Eggs are deposited in whatever damp substrate is available. Juveniles resemble the adults except for being smaller and wingless.[2]

Diseases

The house cricket was essentially eliminated from the cricket-breeding industries of North America and Europe by the appearance of cricket paralysis virus which spread rapidly in Europe in 2002 and then in the United states in 2010. The virus is extremely lethal to this species of cricket and a few others, and left many hobbyists and researchers without adequate feeder insects. It has been replaced by the Jamaican field cricket, which is resistant to cricket paralysis virus and has many of the desirable features of the house cricket.[6]

Human consumption

Deep-fried house crickets sold as food at a market in Thailand

Though it is no longer commercially available, in parts of the world, house crickets used to be farmed for human consumption and became more popular than many native cricket species due to what consumers claimed was their superior taste and texture.[7] Dry-roasting was common and was the most nutritious method of preparing them, though they were often sold deep-fried as well.[8][9] House crickets were also sometimes ground into a powder known as cricket flour.[10]

Nutrition

Like all insects, crickets are a complete protein. They contain both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.[11]

Nutrition Information[12][13][14]

Serving size: 1 1/2 cup (30g)

Quantity per Serving
Calories150
Total Fat6g
  Saturated fat2.3g
  Trans fat0.05g
Cholesterol50mg
Sodium100mg
Total Carbohydrate6g
  Dietary Fiber6g
Protein18g
Vitamin D0.22mcg
Calcium38.5mg
Iron1.6mg
Potassium273mg

References

  1. ↑ Acheta domesticus at the Encyclopedia of Life
  2. 1 2 Walker TJ. (2007). "House cricket, Achetus domesticus". Featured Creatures. University of Florida/IFAS.
  3. ↑ Galloway, Vickie (January 1998). "Raising Crickets". Scarabogram. Scarabs: The Bug Society (213): 2–3.
  4. ↑ Kulzer, Louise (March 1998). "House Crickets". Scarabogram. Scarabs: The Bug Society (215): 2–4.
  5. ↑ "Breeding Crickets". Herp Center. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
  6. ↑ Rosemary Parker (19 January 2012). "Following Cricket Paralysis Virus catastrophe, Top Hat Cricket Farm in Portage rebuilds it business". Michigan Live.
  7. ↑ Here's Why You Should Start Eating (More) Bugs https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/10/eating-bugs-food_n_4726371.html?slideshow=true#gallery/310345/0 Archived 10 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3246e/i3246e.pdf
  9. ↑ https://www.cnet.com/news/edible-insects-crickets-mealworms-farm-protein/
  10. ↑ http://fortune.com/2014/07/18/bugs-in-your-protein-bar-are-edible-insects-the-next-food-craze/
  11. ↑ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marlon-doll/five-reasons-to-eat-crick_b_13939920.html
  12. ↑ http://www.aketta.com/about-aketta.aspx
  13. ↑ https://criknutrition.com/pages/why-cricket-protein-powder
  14. ↑ http://insectsarefood.com/faq.html

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