Gryllotalpa africana
| Gryllotalpa africana | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Gryllotalpidae |
| Genus: | Gryllotalpa |
| Species: | G. africana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gryllotalpa africana (Palisot de Beauvois, 1805)
| |
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
- ^ Orthoptera Species File. "species group Gryllotalpa (africana) Palisot de Beauvois, 1820". orthoptera.speciesfile.org. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
External links[edit]
Media related to Gryllotalpa africana at Wikimedia Commons- Orthoptera Species File - Distribution and taxonomy for sensu stricto sp.
- Agroatlas.ru - Information and images
