TUNNEL ARCHITECTURES OF THREE SPECIES OF MOLE CRICKETS (ORTHOPTERA: GRYLLOTALPIDAE)

The fiberglass resin used to determine tunnel architecture of three species of mole crickets was effective in providing an accurate and durable record of mole cricket activity. The tunnel castings of the tawny mole cricket, Scapteriscus vicinus Scudder, and the African mole crickets, Gryllotalpa africana Palisot de Beauvois, almost always exhibit a "Y" shape upper tunnel structure. The tunnel castings of the southern mole cricket, Scapteriscus borellii Giglio-Tos, are typically an inverted "Y" shape. Tunnels of tawny mole crickets typically go deeper into the soil and are usually more complex than the other two species.