• Question from:Lior

Hi,

This type of insect is frequently found trapped in our backyard pool, NSW, Australia. Can you please help and identify it?

Post's pictures

insect.png, 4.05 mb, 1897 x 1477

Photo
  • University of Exeter
  • Posts: 1,011

I can't say what species but I would call this a "mole cricket" - some info on the family (Gryllotalpidae) here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_cricket

That said, a couple of my Australian colleagues said they would call cooloquially call this a "sandgroper", although that common name seems now to be associated with species now assigned to the family Cylindrachetidae

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandgroper_(insect)

Both these families are  part of the order Orthoptera which includes grasshoppers, crickets, locusts and their close relatives.