Mole Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae)

Mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae) are cosmopolitan (except the poles), 3.2 – 3.5 cm (average, they can be larger than 5 cm!) relatives of crickets (suborder Ensifera, superfamily Grylloidea), named after the mole, since they are both animals that are highly-dependent on burrowing, and they kind of resemble each other (see drawing of Gryllotalpa hexadactyle to the left, from Hebard (1934)). Other common names include churr worms, eve churrs, and changas. Gryllotalpid burrows form networks below the surface of river- and lakeside soil (Ratcliffe & Fagerstrom, 1980), with occasional spacious 1 cm-large egg chambers. This surface network is temporary; they also have more deep permanent burrows.