Gryllotalpa africana
| Gryllotalpa africana | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Hexapoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Superfamily: | Grylloidea |
| Family: | Gryllotalpidae |
| Genus: | Gryllotalpa |
| Species: | Gryllotalpa africana |
| Binomial name | |
| Gryllotalpa africana (Palisot de Beauvois, 1805) | |
Gryllotalpa africana, also known as the African Mole Cricket, is a relatively small mole cricket species, native to Africa, but local populations exist in Asia, and southern Europe.
Biology
The species is omnivorous. The mole cricket lives underground, making burrows and feeding on plant roots, larvae and other insects. It goes to the surface only at night - mostly in the mating season. It can fly too, when changing territory or when females are searching for males. Males call females by chirping. This cricket is considered a pest in some regions.