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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Orthoptera) » Long-horned Orthoptera (Ensifera) » Crickets (Gryllidea) » Mole Crickets (Gryllotalpidae) » Two-clawed Mole Crickets (Neoscapteriscus) » Southern Mole Cricket (Neoscapteriscus borellii)
Photo#519264
Uh, I didn't know what to think but I kept the kids away from it! - Neoscapteriscus borellii
Copyright © 2011 Bill Conklin

Uh, I didn't know what to think but I kept the kids away from it! - Neoscapteriscus borellii
Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA
May 21, 2011
Size: About 1.5 inches
This thing really freaked me out. It would clumsily hop about a foot at a time and was scared of us, trying to get away. It looked like it might have had pinchers so I kept my curious kids away from it. I really didn't want to tangle with it.
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Contributed by Bill Conklin on 23 May, 2011 - 7:36am
Last updated 21 June, 2017 - 9:35pm

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… David J. Ferguson, 23 May, 2011 - 5:22pm login or register to post comments

This is a Southern Mole Cricket
This entry will probably get "Frassed", because the image is pretty fuzzy, but for the moment I'll put it with the species. It is totally harmless to humans, though the front legs are moderately powerful digging tools (if you hold one, it feels about the same as holding a June Beetle in your hands). It is a Cricket, and can perhaps damage certain garden plants or lawns if there are enough of them around, but apparently it is more inclined to eat other insects than plants. So, it is basically harmless in that respect as well. The males sing like other Crickets, and you can listen to a recording of the song here. It's a continuous trilling sound, and you'll probably recognize it. Since they live mostly underground and come out pretty much only at night if at all, they are more often heard than seen. They sometimes come to lights.

Moved from ID Request.
… David J. Ferguson, 23 May, 2011 - 5:22pm login or register to post comments

Mole Cricket of some kind.
You can read more about them here.

Welcome to BugGuide!
… Ken Wolgemuth, 23 May, 2011 - 7:41am login or register to post comments

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