Gryllotalpa africana

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.

Gryllotalpa africana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Hexapoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Orthoptera
Suborder:
Ensifera
Superfamily:
Grylloidea
Family:
Gryllotalpidae
Genus:
Gryllotalpa
Species:
G. africana
Binomial name
Gryllotalpa africana

Subspecies and similar species

It is now understood that G. africana is a species complex that may include cryptic species. These cryptic species can be distinguished only by their song patterns. There are two subspecies of G. africana; the Orthoptera Species File[1] lists:

  • Gryllotalpa africana Palisot de Beauvois, 1805
    • G. africana africana Palisot de Beauvois, 1805 (Africa, Portugal, Indian Subcontinent)
    • G. africana microphtalma Chopard, 1936 (Senegal)
  • Gryllotalpa bulla Townsend, 1983
  • Gryllotalpa debilis Gerstaecker, 1869
  • Gryllotalpa devia Saussure, 1877
  • Gryllotalpa robusta Townsend, 1983
  • Gryllotalpa rufescens Chopard, 1948

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.

References
  1. Orthoptera Species File (retrieved 3 October 2018)
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