Ellipes Pygmy Mole Cricket vs Broad-backed Grouse Locust

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ellipes Pygmy Mole Cricket Broad-backed Grouse Locust
Scientific Name Ellipes minuta Nomotettix cristatus
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Tridactylidae Tetrigidae
Size 3-5 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Forests
Diet Detritivores Herbivores
Regions Central America, South America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ellipes Pygmy Mole Cricket

One of the smallest orthopterans in the world, barely visible to the naked eye. It lives in moist sand and mud along tropical waterways.

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Did You Know?

At just 3 mm long, it is smaller than many ants and is easily overlooked even by entomologists specifically searching for it.

Broad-backed Grouse Locust

A pygmy grasshopper with a high crested pronotum that gives it a broad-backed appearance. It inhabits dry forest floors in eastern North America.

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Did You Know?

Its tall pronotal crest makes it look remarkably like a tiny piece of bark or wood chip on the forest floor.