Indian Mole Cricket vs Flat Silphid Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Indian Mole Cricket Flat Silphid Beetle
Scientific Name Gryllotalpa krishnani Silpha tristis
Order Orthoptera Coleoptera
Family Gryllotalpidae Silphidae
Size 25-35 mm 10-15 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Root Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions India North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Indian Mole Cricket

A mole cricket endemic to the Indian subcontinent found in irrigated crop fields. It damages seedling roots in rice nurseries and vegetable plots.

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Did You Know?

Farmers in southern India locate its burrows by following the churring song to the source and flooding the tunnel to extract it.

Flat Silphid Beetle

A flattened, all-black silphid beetle with three raised ridges on each wing case. It feeds on snails and caterpillars rather than carrion.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most silphids, it has shifted entirely to predation and is rarely found on carrion at all.