Did you find a bug that looks like a cricket cockroach hybrid? Does it have cricket hind legs, jumps like a cricket, but have the body of an ant or a roach?
That’s a Handsome Trig or Red-headed bush cricket! It is a specie of cricket found in shrubs such as viburnums and dogwoods in sunny hedge row and border habitats in North East Ohio.
The color scheme is a match, broadly, and dark basal antenna segments make it appear to have beetle mandibles. The enlarged palps tip when held up, appear like the dark eyes of beetle. The females have a convex, folded forewings that appear “beetle-like”, and striated.
Some argue that the palps mimic jumping spiders.
Red-headed Bush Cricket Information
- Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Phyllopalpus pulchellus Uhler,
- Numbers
1 species in this genus in the U.S.
- Size
7-9mm
- Explanation of Names
pulchellus-pretty or beautiful
- Identification
The red-headed cricket will have a red thorax/head, dark bluish-black forewings and pale legs. The last body segment of palp is black and is oval shaped. Female forewings are convex similar to beetles.
The males sing songs known as “rattling, broken trill” (2), given both day and night. Their Left wing is clear apparently modified for stridulation.
- Range
Southeast U.S. north to Massachusetts, excluding South Florida.
- Habitat
You will find this handsome cricket near marshes and streams, about a meter above the ground.
- Season
Single generation; you will find adults appear in July/early August
Order: Orthoptera (or-THOP-ter-a) (Info)
Family: Trigonidiidae
Genus: Phyllopalpus
Species: pulchellus (pul-KEL-us) (Info)
Regional

States to Find Cricket Roach Hybrid in the United States
Handsome crickets are related to the other members of the family Gryllidae and they live mostly in North America. During courtship, males first provide females a nuptial gift before transferring a larger spermatophore.
Males of the trig (a beetle-like cricket) may posture themselves with two leaves close to one another, or on a single leaf that curves around them, to amplify their loud, quick series of staccato rasps.
This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:
- Brundidge, Alabama
- Buchanan, Georgia
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Morrisville, Pennsylvania
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Pequannock, New Jersey
- Pottstown, Pennsylvania
- Salem, South Carolina
- Galax, Virginia
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Pittsboro, North Carolina
Identification of Handsome Trig
This cricket has a red or rusty head and thorax, pale yellowish tan legs, black forewings and palps. The insect habitually wiggles the palps and antennae almost without stopping and Black forewings
Are crickets and cockroaches related?
Roaches and crickets look similar, but they’re actually not closely related. Both are ‘true insects’, but roaches are believed to belong to a separate order that’s curiously close to the ant order, whereas crickets belong to an order of their own.
Is there a roach that looks like a cricket?
There is a resemblance to ground beetles and cockroaches – they are insects with flat, oval shapes. However, they have different coloring and have better mobility than other roach species. They don’t look for food or shelter from humans like flying roaches do.
If a bug is jumping, it’s probably a cricket. There are similarities with cockroaches but they’re darker in color, and there are also many differences between the two.
Bush crickets, like most other insects, possess an innate ability to sense movement and sound. As a result, they are able to navigate their environment and find food. Recently, scientists have discovered that bush crickets also possess a trigeminal nerve – which is responsible for detecting touch and pressure – that is similar to that of humans! This discovery has led to the development of a new kind of cricket trap – the Handsome Trig – that can be used to study these insects in detail.
What is the Red-headed Bush Cricket?
The Red-headed Bush Cricket is a small, slender cricket found in eastern North America. It has reddish brown fur on its head, shoulders, and back, and a white stripes down its back. The cricket can be distinguished from other bush crickets by the red color of its head and fur.
Characteristics of the Red-headed Bush Cricket
The red-headed bush cricket is a small, delicate cricket that can be found in the United States. This cricket is different than most because it has bright red hair on its head. The cricket also has two very long antennae that help it detect movement in its surroundings.
The red-headed bush cricket is very active and likes to live in areas with lots of vegetation. This cricket feeds on insects, so you may see it feeding on flies or other small creatures. This cricket is not aggressive and will usually just fly away if you try to touch it.
Food Habitat and Life cycle and
The handsome trig is a type of insect, that eats foods like leaves and flowers, small bugs, and eggs.
Developed in July and August, females lay eggs in the trunks of trees using a sword-like ovipositor on the tip of their larvae. Adults mature during the summer season as well.
They lives in bushes near the ground and uses their keen eyesight to sense danger. If they sense danger, they run to the leaves below to hide. They also sun themselves on top of leaves on cool mornings which happen late in the season.
Variations of the sound of crickets are common throughout cultures, and have been popularized in poetry. The sound is often used to portray the ambience of a summer day.
How to identify the Red-headed Bush Cricket
The Red-headed Bush Cricket is a small, brown cricket found in eastern North America. It has an distinctive red head and thorax. The cricket is easy to identify, as it has reddish brown fur on its head, thorax and wings.
Conclusion
One of the most striking looking cricket species is the red-headed bush cricket. This trig has a beautiful reddish hue to its wings and body, which gives it an unmistakable appearance. It can be found in many parts of North America, including eastern Texas and much of Oklahoma. While this cricket isn’t often seen in urban areas, it is a common inhabitant of dry open woodlands and grassy fields. If you want to see one in person, keep your eyes peeled next time you are out walking or hiking!