We discovered a Jerusalem cricket exoskeleton. Given the opportunity to sketch it from any angle, I decided to draw its ventral (under) side. Thanks to Trisha from Insectopia, I can name a few insect parts!

Jerusalem crickets have hypognathus heads, which means their mouthparts point down. That pointy bit at the bottom of the head is the mouth. The palps are little ‘mouth fingers’ that help push food into their maw.

We’ve been seeing these big guys a LOT of late, in the house, in the yard, and out on the trails. They are not venomous, but they have strong mandibles and can inflict a painful bite. They also emit a foul odour if distressed. For these reasons, I don’t usually handle live ones, so it was a treat to have this molt to examine closely.