Ant crickets are yellow, brown, or nearly black in color.

They do not produce sound, and lack both wings and tympanal organs ("ears") on the front tibia.

Species of the subfamily Bothriophylacinae live in caves and the burrows of desert vertebrates rather than ant nests.

[2] The Orthoptera Species File lists two subfamilies:[3] Auth.

: Miram, 1934; distribution: northern Africa, western Asia Auth.