Elwood 5566

The rather ugly camel-cricket (곱등이)

Okay! Here’s a really ugly insect you might see seeking sanctuary as the weather gets colder. The camel cricket (곱등이) is a rather prehistoric looking insect related to the New Zealand weta. They are often found in caves and dark damp places and in some cases never see daylight but also reside in forests and buildings, especially basements.  They are nocturnal and unlike other crickets (뀌뚜라미), do not chirp.  They are characterised by long legs and antennae. Cave dwelling species, living in continual darkness have been known to eat their own limbs if food is scarce. Apart from their ugliness, they are harmless though their defence mechanism is to jump towards a threat rather than away from it.

Probably one of the last insects you will see before winter

The Korean camel-cricket has a somewhat bad reputation as it is associated with the parasitic worm Koreans call the yeon-ka-shi  (연가시).

© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.