Sandgropers are wholly

subterranean Subterranean(s) or The Subterranean(s) may refer to: * Subterranea (geography), underground structures, both natural and man-made Literature * ''Subterranean'' (novel), a 1998 novel by James Rollins * ''Subterranean Magazine'', an American fa ...

apterous

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s of the family Cylindrachetidae that may grow up to 7 cm (3 in) long. Three genera of these

orthoptera Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – gras ...

ns are currently recognised: '' Cylindracheta'', '' Cylindraustralia'' and '' Cylindroryctes''. Like many subterranean animals, little is known about their habits and diet, but

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

n farmers have blamed them for substantial crop losses. Sandgroper2

Sandgropers were once thought to be degenerate

mole cricket Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole" * Golden mole, southern African mammals * Marsupial mole, Australian mammals Other common meanings * Nevus, a growth on human skin ** Melanocytic nevus, a specific type of ...

s, but they are now known to be more closely related to pygmy mole crickets, in the

Caelifera The Caelifera are a suborder of orthopteran insects. They include the grasshoppers and grasshopper-like insects, as well as other superfamilies classified with them: the ground-hoppers ( Tetrigoidea) and pygmy mole crickets ( Tridactyloidea). ...

, which includes

grasshoppers Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...

. Although widely believed to be herbivorous, some have been found with animal remains in their gut.

Range

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

: **''Cylindracheta'' is found only in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

**''Cylindraustralia'' widely except in the south-east and

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

***six species have been recorded in

of which five are believed to be endemic to that state. ''C. kochii'' and ''C. tindalei'' are found in the

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

region. *

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

: **''Cylindraustralia'' *

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

: **''Cylindroryctes''

Popular culture

In the 1970s, television station TVW Channel 7 in Perth, Western Australia released a stuffed toy sandgroper for sale named "Sunny The Sandgroper", with proceeds going towards

Telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...

. "Sunny Sandgroper" was then used as a regular character, along with

Fat Cat Fat cat is a slang term for a wealthy person, originally used to describe a rich political donor. Fat Cat may also refer to: * Fat Cat (singer), a South Korean singer, also known as Defconn Girl * Fat Cat, Norwich, a pub in Norwich, England * Fa ...

and Percy P Penguin, in TVW-7's ''Earlybirds'' morning children's show. Western Australians have been known colloquially as sandgropers, with references to the name being found as early as the 1890s.

References

* * Insects of Australia Taxa named by Ermanno Giglio-Tos Caelifera {{caelifera-stub