Tawny Mole Cricket vs Central American Locust

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tawny Mole Cricket Central American Locust
Scientific Name Neoscapteriscus vicinus Schistocerca piceifrons
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Gryllotalpidae Acrididae
Size 25-35mm 45-65 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Root Feeders Herbivores
Regions South America, North America Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

Central American Locust

A significant agricultural pest locust in Mexico and Central America. It periodically swarms and can devastate corn, bean, and other staple crops.

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Did You Know?

The ancient Maya recorded plagues of this locust, and it remains a recurring agricultural threat in the Yucatan Peninsula today.