mole cricket

noun

1. any of several burrowing crickets of the family Gryllotalpidae that have fossorial forelegs and that feed on the roots of plants.

mole cricket

noun

1. any subterranean orthopterous insect of the family Gryllotalpidae, of Europe and North America, similar and related to crickets but having the first pair of legs specialized for digging

Word History and Origins

Origin of mole cricket¹

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

Water may be the most pliable surface insects have to jump from, Dr. Burrows said, and the most bizarre solution to the problem that he has found is that of the pygmy mole cricket.

From New York Times

Burrows and Sutton previously collaborated on experiments looking at the jumping of fleas, pygmy mole crickets and locusts.

From Washington Post

While animals like pond skater insects and fisher spiders balance on the water’s surface, pygmy mole crickets exploit the water’s viscosity.

From New York Times

But the mole cricket really seems to have been patterned on the mole; either that, or both the four-legged and the six-legged moles were patterned after something else.

From Project Gutenberg

Just as sharply as though something derisive and invisible were throwing them at us, big mole crickets bounce into our plates.

From Project Gutenberg