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European mole cricket

Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa

distribution map for Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa
Dots show county records. The two open dots are in Nantucket County, Massachusetts and Palm Beach County, Florida. No established colonies of the species have been reported in either place.
Computer-generated distribution map, produced in 2004 from records in a database available on this site.

The south-most cluster of dots result from the establishment of the species in northern New Jersey and its spread from there to three counties in New York. Populations of the species show no signs of retreating or diminishing as shown by this 2014 email quote from Jennifer Stengle, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County, New York, "Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa are established in gardens and landscapes here in Putnam and Westchester counties in southern NY State. Often called into the lab in early June as folks open up their pools and find them caught in filter baskets. We also use them for insect outreach when doing programs with children as these insects are fascinating and fun to feed (they can really munch through lettuce and cheerios!)."

In 2018 and 2019, several postings to iNaturalist showed that G. gryllotalpa had spread to Dutchess County, New York and to Litchfield, New Haven, and Fairfield counties in Connecticut.