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.

Subspecies and Similar Species

It is now understood that G. africana is a species group, that may includes cryptic species which can be distinguished only by their song patterns. There are two subspecies of G. africana; the Orthoptera Species File lists:
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.