Western Harvester Ant vs Steppe Mole Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Harvester Ant Steppe Mole Cricket
Scientific Name Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Gryllotalpa stepposa
Order Hymenoptera Orthoptera
Family Formicidae Gryllotalpidae
Size 6-10 mm 35-45 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Root Feeders
Regions Western United States and southwestern Canada Eastern Europe, Central Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Western Harvester Ant

A large red ant that constructs conspicuous gravel-topped mound nests in western grasslands. It clears all vegetation from a wide circle around its nest entrance.

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Did You Know?

Its sting is one of the most painful among North American ants and has been rated highly on the Schmidt pain index.

Steppe Mole Cricket

A mole cricket of the Eurasian steppe belt distinguished from other European species by its song and chromosome number. It inhabits drier habitats than most mole crickets.

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Did You Know?

It can only be reliably distinguished from the European mole cricket by analyzing the pulse rate of its calling song.