Oceanic Field Cricket vs Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Oceanic Field Cricket Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee
Scientific Name Teleogryllus oceanicus Bombus variabilis
Order Orthoptera Hymenoptera
Family Gryllidae Apidae
Size Body 22-28 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Grasslands
Diet Parasites Parasites
Regions Australia, Pacific Islands, Hawaii Central and Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Critically Endangered

Oceanic Field Cricket

A widespread Pacific cricket found from Australia to Hawaii with a loud, clear chirp. Some Hawaiian populations have rapidly evolved silent wings to avoid parasitic flies.

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Did You Know?

In just 20 generations, Hawaiian males evolved flat, silent wings to escape a parasitic fly that locates hosts by sound.

Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee

A rare social parasite bumble bee that takes over colonies of other Bombus species in North America. Queens invade host nests, kill the resident queen, and enslave her workers.

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Did You Know?

It produces no workers of its own and depends entirely on the labor of its host species to raise its offspring.