Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Gryllotalpidae Members: NC Records

Neoscapteriscus borellii (Giglio-Tos, 1894) - Southern Mole Cricket


Taxonomy
Family: Gryllotalpidae Subfamily: Scapteriscinae Tribe: ScapterisciniSynonym: Scapteriscus acletus, Scapteriscus borellii
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIFSINA 341a.htm                                                                                  
Singing Behavior: Calling songs consist of unbroken trills with a dominant pitch of 2.7 kHz. They are similar in pitch and quality to some of the Tree Crickets but are given from an underground chamber rather than from up in shrubs or low trees. The pulse rate is also generally higher than in Oecanthus species, at least those with the lowest pitched songs, such as Oecanthus latipennis.
Recording playback at normal speed.

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Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Adult Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Diet:
Observation Methods:
Abundance/Frequency:
Adult Phenology:
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] SNA
State Protection:
Comments: Introduced from South America; spreading northward

Image Gallery for Neoscapteriscus borellii - Southern Mole Cricket

Recorded by: R. Newman
Carteret Co.
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Recorded by: David White
Carteret Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall and Dee Stuckey
Orange Co.
Comment: Single male heard singing from a small patch of grass in a golf course parking lot. Heard during light rain. 60 pulses/sec.
Recorded by: Mark Shields
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan
Moore Co.
Comment: Probably 2 or more individuals; 76 deg. F
Recorded by: C. Dykstra
Beaufort Co.
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Recorded by: C. Dykstra
Beaufort Co.
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Recorded by: Matt Windsor
Dare Co.
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Recorded by: Matt Windsor
Dare Co.
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MP3 Gallery for Neoscapteriscus borellii - Southern Mole Cricket

1 Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan
Moore Co.
2020-09-09
Song heard at night; ~ 76 F. Identification based on pitch, which at 2.4 kHz seems too low for Oecanthus latipennis. The pulse rate of >70 pps also seems to high for latipennis but may represent several individuals singing at the same time