''Neoscapteriscus vicinus'', commonly known as the tawny mole cricket, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of insect in the mole cricket family, Gryllotalpidae. This species is native to South America and also occurs in the Southern United States, where it arrived as a contaminant of ship's ballast around 1900. Colombian insect taxonomist Oscar Cadena-Castañeda studied specimens of the genus which had been called ''Scapteriscus'', and decided that it included two groups; a smaller group (the true ''Scapteriscus'') and a larger group that he named ''Neoscapteriscus'' (a new genus) in 2015. North American mole cricket taxonomists agreed with his decision and altered Orthoptera Species File Online accordingly.

Description

''N. vicinus'' is a medium-sized mole cricket. Members of this genus are characterized by having two sharp claws and a blade-like process with a sharp edge on their fore legs. Other mole crickets have three or four claws. Its colour is yellowish-brown with a dark prothorax. It can be differentiated from the rather similar ''

Neoscapteriscus borellii ''Neoscapteriscus borellii'', the southern mole cricket, is a species of insect in the family Gryllotalpidae. It is native to South America but is also present in the southern United States where it was introduced around 1900. Description ''Sc ...

'' by the two claws that are almost touching at the base, whereas in ''N. borellii'', they are widely separated. The song of ''N.vicinus'', produced only by the males, is a loud trill with a frequency of 130 Hz.

Distribution and habitat

''N. vicinus'' is native to South America. Since arriving in the United States, it has increased its range, which now extends from North Carolina to Louisiana and the whole of Florida, and west to Texas. Though thought of primarily as a pest of turf and grassland, it also damages many crop plants, including tomatoes, strawberries, vegetables, peanuts, sugarcane, tobacco, and ornamental plants.

Ecology

The tawny mole cricket burrows in sandy soil, creating galleries, usually in the upper , the depth depending on the temperature and soil moisture content. In Florida, the adults are active in spring and again in autumn, completing a single lifecycle during the summer and overwintering as a large

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

. ''N. vicinus'' is

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...

and feeds on the roots and young shoots of plants, and also causes damage to plants through its burrowing activities. Breeding takes place in spring and autumn, with the male calling soon after sunset to attract a female. After copulation, the female lays between 25 and 60 eggs in an underground chamber, the entrance to which is then blocked with soil. The eggs hatch about 3 weeks later. The nymphs take several months to develop fully, passing through eight to 10 moults. In an attempt to reduce the damage done by ''Neocapteriscus'' mole crickets in Florida,

biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or ot ...

has been attempted using natural enemies introduced from South America. It was considered to have been achieved by 2004, when the program at the University of Florida was shut down. In 2006, a summary publication announced success: a 95% reduction in mole cricket numbers in northern Florida, with biological control agents spreading potentially to all parts of Florida. ''

Larra bicolor ''Larra bicolor'' is a parasitoid wasp native to South America. It was introduced into Florida as a biological pest control of invasive mole crickets. Description Adult females of this species are about 22 mm long, with the males somewhat s ...

'' is a

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

wasp which deposits eggs on adult mole crickets. The fly ''

Ormia depleta ''Ormia depleta'', sometimes called the Brazilian red-eyed fly, is a species of fly in the family Tachinidae. It is a parasitoid of mole crickets in the genus '' Scapteriscus''. It is native to South America but has been imported into the United ...

'' acts in a similar manner, laying eggs on them in both cases, the developing larvae devour the tissues of the host. The mole cricket nematode (''Steinernema scapterisci'') liberates a bacterium which causes

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

and death to its

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

mole cricket. In 2016, a graduate student in economics and her committee published an economic analysis of the entire 25-year biological control program. Part of the balance sheet (input) was salaries and equipment and supplies, and part (output) was reduction in damage by mole crickets to cattle pastures determined by a survey of ranchers throughout Florida. A cost/benefit ratio of 1/52 was calculated. This did not take into account the benefit to turf grass (lawns, playing fields, and golf courses), to vegetable production, or to any areas outside Florida.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10662900 Gryllotalpidae Insects described in 1869 Insects of South America