Antique Crickets and Mole Cricket Engraving by Bertuch, 1807

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Title: Antique Crickets & Mole Cricket Engraving – Bertuch, 1807 Original antique hand-colored copper engraving depicting seven different native crickets … Read more Title: Antique Crickets & Mole Cricket Engraving – Bertuch, 1807 Original antique hand-colored copper engraving depicting seven different native crickets and related insects, published in Friedrich Justin Bertuch’s celebrated “Bilderbuch für Kinder” in Weimar in 1807. The plate is headed “Insekten XLIX / Insecta XLIX / Insectes XLIX” and is historically described as: “Verschiedene Einheimische Grillen-Arten” – Various Native Species of Crickets. The engraving presents seven different cricket forms, including field and ground crickets and the extraordinary mole cricket, shown both at rest and with its wings fully extended. Fig. 1–5 – Various Crickets The smaller insects surrounding the central figure represent several forms of true crickets and related Orthoptera. Their characteristic features include exceptionally long antennae, powerful hind legs adapted for jumping and compact bodies. Crickets were familiar inhabitants of European fields, gardens and houses, but their remarkable anatomy and characteristic chirping made them popular subjects in early natural-history publications. The sound commonly associated with crickets is produced principally by males rubbing specialized parts of their wings together, a process known as stridulation. Fig. 6 – Mole Cricket The remarkable insect at the bottom is a Mole Cricket, recognizable by its elongated body and enormously developed front legs. Common name: European Mole Cricket Scientific name: Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa Unlike ordinary crickets, the Mole Cricket spends much of its life underground. Its powerful front legs have evolved into broad digging structures that function almost like miniature shovels. with them the insect excavates extensive tunnels through moist soil. The name Gryllotalpa literally combines the Latin words for “cricket” and “mole” – an exceptionally appropriate of this unusual insect. Fig. 7 – Winged Mole Cricket The spectacular central figure shows a Mole Cricket with its wings fully extended. This is particularly interesting because the familiar burrowing insect is rarely depicted in flight. The large, delicately veined wings contrast dramatically with its heavy body and powerful digging forelegs. Despite their subterranean lifestyle, adult mole crickets possess functional wings and some species are capable of considerable flight, particularly when dispersing or seeking mates. The central winged specimen gives this plate considerably more visual impact than a conventional cricket illustration. See less