Just who are Cave Crickets?

Cave crickets live near the entrances of most caves in Southern Australia and Tasmania. They are viewed as an indicator of the health of the invertebrate biota found in caves. They have evolved to live in the darkness of caves They have no eyes, no wings, and no chirp. They use their long antennas and legs to find their food.

Meet an Australian Cave Cricket

Starting point

Australian cave crickets have got a bit of an identification problem. We don’t know how they evolved nor how they are related to each other, that is we don’t know where the crickets found in Tasmanian caves fit on the evolutionary tree in relation to those found on the Nullarbor.

We’re beginning to appreciate the important role that cave crickets play in their underground ecosystems – cycling nutrients by scavenging for bat poo or animal remains, and importing energy into an otherwise starved food web. We’re also starting to understand that these enigmatic creatures are in decline across Australia, and that their niche habitat requirements and inability to disperse long distances makes them vulnerable to change.

What's Happening

This project will use a modern genetic methodology to help unravel this problem, as original descriptions were based on morphology and biometry. Dr Perry Beasley-Hall from University of Adelaide is leading this review.

End result

This project runs for three years ending in December 2026. Excitingly, the project will also help to raise awareness for these often overlooked creatures – engaging with avid caving enthusiasts, who often mistake Rhaphidophoridae for spiders, and creating online resources to help with cave cricket identification for researchers and citizen scientists alike.

https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/perry.beasley-hall

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/environment/news/list/2022/05/20/unravelling-the-enigma-of-cave-crickets

Nullabor Cave Cricket. Photo: Thomas Varga