The family Gryllidae contains the subfamilies and genera which entomologists now term true crickets. Having long, whip-like antennae, they belong to the Orthopteran suborder Ensifera, which has been greatly reduced in the last 100 years (e.g. Imms): taxa such as the tree crickets, spider-crickets and their allies, sword-tail crickets, wood or ground crickets and scaly crickets have been moved or elevated to family level. The type genus is Gryllus and the first use of the family name "Gryllidae" was by Francis Walker.

They have a worldwide distribution (except Antarctica). The most familiar field crickets (Gryllinae) are characteristically robust brown or black insects; the largest members of the family are the 5 cm (2 in)-long bull crickets (Brachytrupes) which excavate burrows a metre or more deep.

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