Elegant Cave Cricket vs Hemiandrus Ground Weta

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Elegant Cave Cricket Hemiandrus Ground Weta
Scientific Name Ceuthophilus elegans Hemiandrus maculifrons
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Rhaphidophoridae Anostostomatidae
Size 12-18 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Caves Underground
Diet Fungus Feeders Herbivores
Regions United States New Zealand
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Elegant Cave Cricket

A moderately-sized cave cricket found in caves and dark sheltered areas across the eastern United States. It has a mottled brown body pattern.

💡

Did You Know?

Despite its name, it is also commonly found in basements and crawl spaces.

Hemiandrus Ground Weta

A New Zealand ground weta that is one of the very few orthopterans showing maternal care. Females guard their eggs and newly hatched nymphs in underground burrows.

💡

Did You Know?

Females remain sealed in their burrow with their eggs for months without feeding, one of the rarest parental behaviors in crickets.