Northern Mole Cricket
Other Name(s): Mole Cricket
Characteristics: Mole Crickets are a breed of cricket commonly found east of the Rocky Mountains with a broad range reaching from southern Canada into Mexico. They tend to operate during nighttime hours and spend most of their time burrowing into soil.
Identifying features of the Mole Cricket are their brownish body color. They measure about 3/4 of and inch (20mm in length) and have the traditional powerful rear hind legs. Wings are present and Mole Crickets can fly if they choose to. Wing sizes vary on the sub-variants of Mole Cricket. Large powerful front legs help in burrowing into soil while tiny hairs along the body and legs help to keep the soil from sticking to the insects body. Feelers are present at front and at rear along with four mouth mandibles.
Variations of the Mole Cricket include the Northern, Southern, Tawny, Prairie and Short-Winged. The European Mole Cricket is a larger breed (nearly 2 inches!) and is related, but has shorter wings.
North American reach includes (may not be limited to): Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine
Category: Grasshopper or Cricket
Common Name: Northern Mole Cricket
Scientific Name: (Gryllotalpa hexadactyla)
 Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Family: Gryllotalpidae
Genus: Gryllotalpa
Species: hexadactyla
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