| Latin Name | Observation Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Gryllotalpa orientalis | May 06, 2026 | Purulia, Natore, Bangladesh |
When we go out in search of strange creatures hidden in nature, we sometimes come across something that really surprises us. When the surroundings become silent at night, we can appreciate the various forms of nature very closely. Since I am closely associated with farming and fruit gardening, the presence of various types of insects in the crop fields or gardens is a very familiar scene to me. On May 6, at exactly 11:20 pm, I came across such a strange sight of insects and without delay, I immediately took some wonderful macro photos of it.
I took the photo from a locality in Bangladesh. At first glance, anyone might think that the insect is a strange hybrid of a common cricket and some other animal. Its body color is dark brown, it has some beautiful folded wings on its back, and its front legs are as wide and strong as a spade or shovel for digging the soil.
To find out more detailed and accurate information about this insect, I took the help of the iNaturalist app and got some great scientific information from there, which I am sharing with you today.
Name and Scientific Name:
According to the information provided by the app, the common English name of this animal is Oriental Mole Cricket. Its official scientific name is Gryllotalpa orientalis.
Species and Family:
It is basically a mole cricket species belonging to the Gryllotalpidae family. Scientists were once quite confused about the identity of this insect. Long ago, this species was mistakenly identified as G. africana. At that time, it was thought that they were widely distributed in both the continents of Asia and Africa. But after much research, in the 1980s, scientists recognized G. orientalis as a completely separate species.
Habitat and Habitat:
Since the word 'Oriental' is attached to the name, it can be easily assumed that these are animals from our Asian region. They live widely in most parts of Asia and in Australasia. Their wide front legs show how good they are at digging the soil. They prefer to live in holes or tunnels under damp soil most of the time.
Food and harmful aspects:
This insect is not at all beneficial for those of us who grow fruit gardens or depend on agriculture. It is a polyphagous pest. Their main food is the roots of plants. They chew the roots of various crops very cruelly from below the ground, causing great damage to the farmers' crops. If the roots of small seedlings are damaged, the plants dry up and die very quickly.
Reproduction and beneficial aspects:
According to sources, this insect is best known as a deadly pest. Their reproduction process is completed underground and they lay eggs in a humid environment and reproduce. It is difficult to find direct benefits compared to the huge damage they cause in agriculture by eating the roots of crops. However, every animal has some role in the larger food chain of nature. As food for other larger animals or birds, they help to maintain the balance of the ecosystem, albeit indirectly.
I hope you liked the post.
I learned about them from various sites including iNaturalist, Wikipedia and Google.
(All posts are written in Bengali and translated into English using Google Translate.)
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| Camera Used | Samsung SM-G973F |
|---|---|
| F-Stop | F2.4 |
| ISO speed | ISO |
| Focal length | 26mm |
| Flash | ON |
| Editing app | MIX |
| Photography | Oriental Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa orientalis) |
| Photographer |  |
| Location | Purulia, Natore, Bangladesh |
| Link to original community |
|---|
| https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/361077177 |
| Latitude | Longitude | Map Link |
|---|---|---|
| 24.3319 | 89.1086 | https://www.openstreetmap.org/?#map=12/24.3319/89.1086 |