Australian King Cricket vs Tawny Mole Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Australian King Cricket Tawny Mole Cricket
Scientific Name Australostylus montanus Neoscapteriscus vicinus
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Anostostomatidae Gryllotalpidae
Size Body 30-50 mm 25-35mm
Habitat Forests Farmland
Diet Fungus Feeders Root Feeders
Regions Australia South America, North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Australian King Cricket

A large, robust cricket found in the cool mountain forests of southeastern Australia. It is flightless and nocturnal with powerful hind legs.

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Did You Know?

King crickets are closely related to New Zealand wetas and share a common Gondwanan ancestor.

Tawny Mole Cricket

An invasive burrowing cricket with tan coloring and powerful digging forelegs. It is a major turf pest in the southeastern United States. Its tunnels damage grass roots extensively.

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Did You Know?

A single mole cricket can tunnel up to 6 meters per night, leaving raised ridges of dying turf behind it.