Ant Cricket Crowned Insect of the Year: Unveiling Its Myrmecophilous Lifestyle

Ant crickets belong to the order Orthoptera, just like the more familiar grasshoppers, locusts and crickets. The ant cricket is currently the only species known in Latvia, representing the family Myrmecophilidae and the genus Myrmecophilus. A total of 66 species are currently known in the genus. Ant crickets are myrmecophilous and kleptoparasitic – this means that their survival is entirely dependent on representatives of another insect family – ants (Formicidae). Ant crickets inhabit the nests of more than 20 different ant species, where they steal and feed on ant eggs, ant prey, and the carbohydrate- and protein-rich secretions produced by the ants. But why aren't these uninvited guests "expelled" from the nest? Ant crickets have unique adaptations that allow them to deceive the original inhabitants of the nest by imitating the movements, chemical and tactile signals of the ants. Upon arriving in a new nest, the ant crickets gradually coat their bodies with a layer of hydrocarbons characteristic of the ant cuticle, which reduces the ants' aggression towards them. So if not exactly wolves in sheeps' clothing they are certainly crickets in ants' clothing and, in a sense, experts in cross-dressing (see further below). As the association explained, at first glance, an ant cricket might even visually resemble an ant to a person not well versed in such things, which probably includes most of us. All the more reason to pay special attention to them this year! They are atypically tiny members of the order Orthoptera – their body length never exceeds 3.5 millimeters. They have completely reduced wings and their bodies are characterized by a dark, reddish-brown hue. However, ant crickets also have the strong hind legs. Although a large number of grasshopper, locust and cricket species found in Latvia are recognizable by their "music-making" or sound-making by stridulation, this feature has not been essential for ant crickets during evolution – they do not make sound and do not hear. In addition they also underline the frequent uselessness of the male sex, which will further endear them to many. Female ant crickets are able to reproduce through parthenogenesis – from unfertilized female eggs. This is also the main way these insects reproduce in populations found in Europe. Consequently populations are mainly composed of females, and males of the species were described for this species only in 2021. This makes the ant cricket an interesting object of research. Only females have been observed in Latvia so far. According to the Dabasdati portal , the ant cricket has been observed in Riga, Jelgava and also Liepāja. Unlike other ornithopods, this species is found throughout the summer - the earliest known sighting in Latvia is in May, and the latest is in August. In Europe, the species' active period is even longer. So if you do meet an ant cricket in this, its special year, bid it a warm hello – and you are probably on safe ground to refer to it as 'Ms.' rather than 'Mr.'