Scapteriscus borellii is a huge mole cricket that may grow to be around 3 cm long. It is distinguished by two sharp claws and a blade-like process on its forelegs with a sharp edge.
The claws of other mole crickets are three or four. The sound is a low-pitched trill with a pulse rate of around 50 per second, sung solely by males.
They have three pairs of legs, three-segmented body components, and a set of antennae. Their forelegs have been adapted to dig into the earth, resembling the front legs of a mole.
The tawny mole cricket is a larger and more robust bug than the southern mole cricket. The tawny mole cricket is tan, but the southern mole cricket is deeper brown to almost black.
Another distinguishing feature of the southern mole cricket is four light-colored spots on top of the skull. The tawny mole crickets mature to 1½- to 2-inches long, whereas the smaller southern mole cricket matures to 1- to 1½-inches long.
Host plant:
Not specific, omnivorous
Territory:Scapteriscus borellii can be found in the Southwest region of the United States ranging from South Carolina to East Texas and North to Georgia and Alabama.
Damage caused by southern mole cricket:
The southern mole cricket damages turf and pasture grasses, mainly by tunnelling (because it is largely carnivorous). Dissection of their guts to reveal the contents has shown that southern mole crickets feed largely on a diet of insects and other soil-inhabiting animals, and only to a slight extent on plants. Perhaps plant feeding occurs when animal material is in short supply. Relatively very little damage is caused to plants by southern mole crickets as a consequence of this diet. Southern mole crickets include ants in their diet, and they may perhaps feed on fire ants among other ants.
Life History and habits:
During the spring months, adults of both species mate during dispersion flights that take place soon after dusk. Females deposit eggs in south Texas beginning in April and north Texas beginning in June/July. When mole cricket nymphs hatch, they begin eating on roots, organic materials, other insects, and tiny creatures. The first instar mole crickets are approximately 14 inch long and resemble adult mole crickets except that their wings are not fully developed. They go through 6 to 8 nymphal stages (instars) and, depending on the species, will either molt to the adult stage or overwinter in the nymph stage. The majority of tawny mole crickets overwinter as adults, while the majority of southern mole crickets overwinter as nymphs. However, both species have just one reproduction every year.
