Armoured Ground Cricket vs Vineyard Mole Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Armoured Ground Cricket Vineyard Mole Cricket
Scientific Name Acanthoplus longipes Gryllotalpa vineae
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Tettigoniidae Gryllotalpidae
Size 45-60 mm 35-50 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Underground
Diet Omnivores Root Feeders
Regions Southern Africa Southern Europe, Mediterranean
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Armoured Ground Cricket

A robust flightless katydid covered in sharp spines across its thorax and legs. It is an omnivorous insect found in arid bushveld.

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Did You Know?

They are cannibalistic and will devour injured members of their own species during mass marching events.

Vineyard Mole Cricket

A European mole cricket very similar to G. gryllotalpa but distinguished by its song frequency. It was only recognized as a separate species through bioacoustic analysis.

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Did You Know?

It was hidden as a cryptic species within G. gryllotalpa for centuries until scientists discovered its distinctly different calling song.