Pygmy-mole-cricket
Guides
Ellipes californicus
Ellipes californicus is a species of pygmy mole cricket in the family Tridactylidae, described by Günther in 1985. The genus Ellipes is characterized by reduced wings and fossorial (burrowing) adaptations. This species is known from the northwestern region of Mexico. Like other tridactylids, it likely inhabits moist sandy or muddy soils near water bodies and possesses enlarged hind legs adapted for jumping.
Ellipes gurneyi
Ellipes gurneyi is a minute pygmy mole cricket in the family Tridactylidae, measuring 4–5 mm in length. It is found in California and the southern United States. The species was described by Günther in 1977. Like other tridactylids, it exhibits a mole-cricket-like body form adapted for burrowing.
Ellipes minuta
Smaller Sand Cricket
Ellipes minuta, commonly known as the Smaller Sand Cricket, is a species of pygmy mole cricket in the family Tridactylidae. This small orthopteran is adapted for burrowing in sandy substrates, with modified forelegs for digging. The species occurs across a broad geographic range including parts of North, Central, and South America. Like other members of the genus Ellipes, it inhabits moist sandy areas near water bodies where it can burrow and feed.
Ellipes monticolus
canyon pygmy mole cricket
Ellipes monticolus is a poorly known pygmy mole cricket endemic to canyon environments in the southwestern United States. First described in 1977 from genitalia drawings alone, the species remained without natural history documentation until 2020, when the first live photographs and field observations were published from the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. The species inhabits the Sky Islands region, a biodiversity hotspot characterized by isolated mountain ranges. As a member of Tridactylidae, it likely exhibits fossorial adaptations for burrowing in moist substrates near water.
Leptoglossus
leaf-footed bugs
Leptoglossus is a genus of true bugs in the leaf-footed bug family Coreidae, tribe Anisoscelini. Species are characterized by leaflike dilations of the hind tibia, a diagnostic trait of the genus. The genus is distributed throughout the Americas, with some introduced populations in Europe and Asia. Several species are economically significant agricultural pests, notably L. occidentalis, which has become invasive in multiple continents.
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nchanmoss-bugarchaeorrhynchanfulgoromorphancicadomorphanmembracoidtreehopperleafhopperplanthopperpsyllidjumping-plant-lousewhiteflyaleyrodidscale-insectcoccoidmealybugaphidadelgidphylloxeransternorrhynchanthysanopteranthripspsocopteranbarklousebooklousephthirapteranlousesucking-lousechewing-lousemallophagananoplurandermapteranearwigblattodeancockroachtermiteisopteranmantodeanmantidphasmidstick-insectleaf-insectorthopterangrasshopperlocustkatydidcricketmole-cricketpygmy-mole-cricketcamel-cricketcave-cricketwetaensiferancaeliferangryllotalpidmyrmecophilidtettigoniidgryllidacrididpamphagidpneumoridlentulidtristirideumastacidproscopiidtridactylidtetrigidgrouse-locustpygmy-grasshopperplecopteranstoneflyembiopteranwebspinnerzorapteranangel-insectdictyopteranTridactylidae
Pygmy Mole Crickets, Pygmy Sand Crickets, Pygmy Mole Grasshoppers
Tridactylidae are a family of minute orthopterans commonly called pygmy mole crickets, though they are not closely related to true mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae). Adults typically measure 5–10 mm, with some species reaching 20 mm. They inhabit moist sandy soils near water bodies, where they construct shallow burrows 2–3 cm deep. The family is distinguished by extraordinary jumping abilities powered by enlarged hind femora, and by unique natatory lamellae on the hind tibiae that function as swimming paddles. Some species can jump from water surfaces and even dive. Despite their common name, they are basal grasshoppers (Caelifera), not crickets.