Mole cricket

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Mole cricket

Gryllotalpa brachyptera, Victoria, Australia

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Suborder:	Ensifera
Superfamily:	Grylloidea
Family:	Gryllotalpidae Saussure, 1870

distribution Gryllotalpidae

Genera

Gryllotalpa
Neocurtilla
Scapteriscus

The mole crickets compose 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 can also 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, skunks, armadillos, raccoons 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, lawns and golf courses. They are present in every continent with the exception of Antarctica, and are commonly considered pests. In Asia, however, they are sometimes used as food (fried), and are considered quite delicious.

In certain parts of the globe, mole cricket numbers are declining due to soil erosion and habitat destruction.