Identifying characteristics for the family Gryllotalpidae include:
Ovipositor long and slender.
Antennae long.
Tympanum at base of front tibia, if present.
Front legs broad and modified for digging (= fossorial).
Additional information:
Some taxonomists include mole crickets as the subfamily Gryllotalpinae
within Gryllidae, but we will raise them to the family Gryllotalpidae in ENY 3005.
Most mole crickets are herbivores, feeding on roots in the sandy soils in which they live.
Mole crickets are the most serious pest of golf courses throughout Florida.
Life stages of the mole cricket.
References:
Page 84 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970.
A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Page 224 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989.
An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed.
Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
Page 100 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects, 3rd ed.
Debuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
Page 395 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction to
Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.
Links to other web sites
MCRICKET Home Page - Tutorial for identifying and managing mole crickets.
Mole Crickets - Index to Featured Creatures pages on mole crikets
