General Description

Body dark brown with a velvet-like hairy mid-body (thorax). Front legs are large and wide. Wings. Body up to 4 cm long.

Biology

Mole Crickets feed on plant matter and possibly soil invertebrates. They sing by rubbing their wings together; the sound is amplified by the shape of the burrow entrance. Females lay eggs in their burrow and protect them and the young nymphs when they hatch. They produce a smelly, black defensive fluid.

Distribution

South-western and eastern mainland Australia.

Habitat

In permanent damp burrows in soil, near water.

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