Discovery of rare Mole Cricket
By Charlotte Owen
Communications Officer
The Mole Cricket is an endangered species in the UK and was considered extinct here until relatively recently when, in 2014, a population was confirmed in the New Forest. They remain rare as far as we know, but they are naturally elusive and not often seen because they are nocturnal and, as the name suggests, they live underground. Their powerful, chunky forelegs are specialised for digging, just like a Mole’s, and they spend the majority of their lives in underground burrows. The best way to detect them is via the churring call of the male Mole Cricket, which is amplified by a specially-constructed sound chamber.
This sighting was reported via our WildCall information and advice service, and will be logged with the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre. It was found in a garden in central Worthing, and the finder had managed to identify it as a Mole Cricket thanks to its distinctive appearance. Recognising that it was an unusual find, they got in touch to let us know about it and to find out what to do next.
Despite their subterranean existence, Mole Crickets do have wings and can fly. It’s usually the females that do so, homing in on the churring call of a potential mate. They can cover a significant distance on the wing, so it’s possible the Worthing individual flew in from elsewhere (possibly several miles away) or that there is a small resident population in the local area. However, Mole Crickets can also be imported accidentally with compost and potted plants. This is the most likely explanation for a previous Sussex sighting, reported in March last year in Hurstpierpoint, when a Mole Cricket was discovered in the pot of a recently-purchased Japonica plant.
Happily, the Worthing Mole Cricket has been safely released back into the garden where it was found. We are always keen to receive wildlife sightings and especially of unusual species like the Mole Cricket, so would encourage anyone that finds one to get in touch: [email protected] or 01273 494777
Update - 12 May 2023
Thank you to George Beccaloni, who confirmed that this particular specimen of Mole Cricket is Gryllotalpa quindecim, a species native to continental Europe rather than the UK native Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa which hasn’t been verified in Sussex since 2006. Gryllotalpa quindecim are not currently in the UK Species Inventory, but records of non-native species are valuable for monitoring and SxBRC will keep this record on file for future reporting.
Comments
The information doesn’t say how large the mole cricket is – presumably not as large as the photo (eek!) I think we Should be Told . . .
04 May 2023 11:22:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
Adult Mole Crickets would be between 3.2 and 3.5 cm in length
Many years ago, when Chris (Cricket) Haes was still in Sussex, I remember we went to somewhere at the back of Arundel Castle to look for crickets, and I thought they were Mole crickets. It was a colony he was keeping an eye on and not widely known about. Of course I may not be remembering the type of cricket correctly but just in case I am…
04 May 2023 13:47:00
fantastic news, I hope I manage to see one at some point.
04 May 2023 16:03:00
Great news to hear it’s been spotted in my hometown! I’ll be keeping an eye out in my garden for it.
04 May 2023 16:43:00
Our friends in the Dordogne have lots of them that devastated their small holding plants. Are they a threat if their numbers increase as they ate their plants super quick?
05 May 2023 11:15:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
In countries where they are exceedingly abundant, they can be considered pests due to their tendency to feed on roots of farming crops. Their dramatic decline in numbers in the latter half of the 20th century was due in no small part to extensive pest control and pesticide application across agricultural land and private gardens. In the UK, they are presumed on the brink of extinction, therefore are unlikely to pose any significant threat for a very long time. Andy Fry, WildCall Officer
West Sussex here. I want to help the mole crickets we have, is there anything I can do? I am experienced in keeping a range of bugs, is there a breeding programme? I’d like to be more involved.
24 Jan 2024 03:03:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
There are no specific Mole Cricket programs that we're aware of at least locally.
To our knowledge, there are no known populations of Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa outside of the New Forest, and most if not all recent confirmed specimens found elsewhere in the country are suspected to have been transported in potted plants.
We hold out hope that one day the species will recover, but so little is known about them currently and most records of them are actually limited to having heard them singing rather than actually seeing them. We are probably a long way off from any wide-reaching conservation/monitoring projects pertaining to native Mole Crickets.
Found adult mole cricket in Ennice NC
between Sparta NC and Galax Va
05 Aug 2024 04:24:00
In the past few days I have heard a distinctive whirring noise during the day outside that I thought sounded like a nightjar, but felt it very unlikely as I live in a suburban area. So I googled to see what other bird(s) could be mistaken for this and found this reference to the mole cricket and it’s similarity in sound. Interestingly, I live in Worthing (West to be precise) so maybe they are still here?
31 Aug 2024 09:37:00
I believe I found one in the Dirt Here where I’m from in Wyoming while going to school. I could be wrong it could have been a Potato bug
03 Sep 2024 20:31:00
In the mid/late 1960s, I lived and worked in a small town in Southern Germany. On the evening shift during summertime, these huge insects would come floating in through the large open windows. They looked orange in colour; flew very slowly, and we were terrified of them at the time. Now I’m curious to know what the we’re. A German entomologist has suggested perhaps Mole Crickets. I’ve never seen anything like in UK.
18 Feb 2025 08:10:00