What is "mormon cricket"

n. large dark wingless cricket-like katydid of arid parts of western United States [syn: Anabrus simplex]

The Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) is a large insect that can grow to almost in length. It lives throughout western North America in rangelands dominated by sagebrush and forbs.

Despite its name, the Mormon cricket is actually a shieldbacked katydid, not a cricket. It takes its name from Mormon settlers in Utah, who encountered them while pushing westward, and for the prominent role they play in the miracle of the gulls.

Although flightless, the Mormon cricket is capable of traveling up to two kilometers a day in its swarming phase, during which it is a serious agricultural pest and traffic hazard.