Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa

Taxobox
name = European Mole Cricket

---

regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
subphylum = Hexapoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Orthoptera
subordo = Ensifera
superfamilia = Grylloidea
familia = Gryllotalpidae
familia_authority = Saussure, 1870
genus = Gryllotalpa
genus_authority = Latreille, 1802
binomial = "Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa"
binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1758)

"Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa" is the European mole cricket found in Europe, the UK, and places where it has been introduced, such as the eastern US.

Body length (males): 35-41 mmBody length (females): 40-46 mm

Description

One of the most impressive and unusual looking insects. The scientific name derives from the Latin 'gryllus' meaning cricket and 'talpa', mole, and refers to its similarity to a mole in both looks and subterranean habits. The body is brown in colour and covered with fine velvety hairs, and the forelegs are greatly modified for digging. Only the adult stages are winged, and flight is said to be clumsy, directionless and only performed on rare occasions at night. Males can be distinguished from the females by the open vein area in the forewing known as the 'harp', females lack the external ovipositor of other crickets.

Range

This mole cricket occurs throughout Europe, except Norway and Finland, through to western Asia and North Africa.

Habitat

Ideal habitat appears to be short, thin swards on sandy loam or peaty soils with a fluctuating water table or seepage line and areas of disturbed or cultivated ground.

Biology

Eggs are laid in underground chambers from early spring to the end of July. These are tended by the female until they hatch two to four weeks later. Nymphs begin to mature from the following spring onwards; but some may not mature until their third spring. Adults and nymphs can be found throughout the year in extensive tunnel systems that may reach a depth of over one metre. Mole crickets are omnivorous, feeding on a range of soil invertebrates and plant roots; often leaving neat circular holes through the roots of tuberous plants. Males occasionally produce a soft, but far-carrying 'churring' song from within a specially constructed chamber in the burrow system, which acts as an amplifier for the song, which is likely to be used for attracting females. The song is typically produced on warm mild evenings in early spring between dusk and dawn, and it is similar to the song of the nightjar "Caprimulgus europeaeus".

References

* Haes, E. C. M & Marshall, J. A. (1988) "Grasshoppers and Allied Insects of Great Britain and Ireland". Harley Books, Colchester.
* Haes, E. C. M. & Harding, P. T. (1997) "Atlas of grasshoppers, crickets and allied insects in Britain and Ireland". HMSO, London
* "Biodiversity: The UK Steering Group Report". (1995) Volume 2: Action Plans. HMSO, London.
* Pinchen, B. J. (in press). "The Mole Cricket - From beyond the Theatre".