Mole cricket
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The mole crickets comprise a family (Gryllotalpidae) of thick-bodied insects about 3-5 cm (1-2 inches) long, with large beady eyes and shovel-like forelimbs highly developed for burrowing and swimming. They are also equipped with wings, and the ability to fly. The adult mole cricket may fly as far as 8 kilometers (approximately 5 miles) during mating season, is active most of the year, and spends the winter in hibernation.
Mole crickets are omnivores, feeding on grubs, worms, roots, and grasses. Common predators of mole crickets include birds, rats, skunk, armadillos, raccoon and foxes.
Mole crickets are relatively common, but because they are nocturnal and spend nearly all their lives underground in extensive tunnel systems, they are rarely seen. They inhabit agricultural fields, rice paddies, lawns, and golf courses. Five out of the seven species present in North America are immigrants from Europe, Asia, and South America, and are commonly considered pests. In Asia, however, they are sometimes used as food (fried), and are considered quite delicious.
Nonetheless, in certain parts of the globe, mole cricket numbers are declining due to soil erosion and habitat destruction.
Mole cricket species
- Gryllotalpa cultriger (western mole cricket)
- Gryllotalpa major (prairie mole cricket)
- Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa (European mole cricket)
- Gryllotalpa fossor (oriental mole cricket)
- Gryllotalpa africana (African mole cricket)
- Neocurtilla hexadactyla (northern mole cricket)
- Scapteriscus abbreviatus (Scudder shortwinged mole cricket)
- Scapteriscus borellii (southern mole cricket)
- Scapteriscus didactylus (West Indian mole cricket)
- Scapteriscus imitatus (imitator mole cricket)
- Scapteriscus vicinus (Scudder tawny mole cricket)
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