Gryllotalpa orientalis
Gryllotalpa orientalis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Orthoptera |
Suborder: | Ensifera |
Family: | Gryllotalpidae |
Genus: | Gryllotalpa |
Species: | G. orientalis
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Binomial name | |
Gryllotalpa orientalis Burmeister, 1838
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Synonyms | |
Gryllotalpa fossor Scudder, 1869 |
Gryllotalpa orientalis is a species of
Morphology and biology
This mole cricket is plump, yellowish-brown, and paler beneath, and about 20 mm long. It has short filiform
Distribution
The oriental mole cricket is found in Russia and other parts of the former USSR, China, Japan, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines,[2] and Hawaii, where it seems to have arrived from Asia before 1896.[1]
Ecology
The oriental mole cricket lives underground in damp soil, digging a network of passages. Its natural habitat include damp, rich soils such as flood plains and the banks of streams and ponds, as well as arable land and gardens.[2] The burrow has vertical and horizontal passages and may be complex in structure, with different parts being used for different purposes.[4] The mole cricket feeds on the roots, tubers, and rhizomes of plants, and also on insects, earthworms, and other invertebrates. It comes to the surface and undertakes flight in the evenings and at night, and is attracted to light sources. A mass emergence after wintering may take place when the temperature rises to 12-15°C. Besides birds and insectivorous mammals, its natural enemies include ants, which feed on the eggs, beetles, which eat the larvae, nematodes, and mites. Fungal diseases may be devastating during winters with sudden rises of temperature and thaws.[2]
Economic significance
In Hawaii,
Biological control in Hawaii
Larra is a genus of wasps in the family Crabronidae, the members of which are parasitoids of mole crickets. After several unsuccessful attempts to introduce these wasps to Hawaii, in 1925, Larra polita from the Philippines was successfully introduced and succeeded in establishing itself. Little comment has been given since 1930 on the damage being done by the oriental mole cricket in Hawaii, and this may be due to the presence of these wasps.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Mole Cricket Knowledgebase Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e f g AgroAtlas
- ^ a b "University of Queensland: Centre for Biological Information Technology". Archived from the original on 2011-03-06. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
- ^ The underground life of the oriental mole cricket: an analysis of burrow morphology.