Silhouette: Didier Descouens · PhyloPic
Neoscapteriscus vicinus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Neoscapteriscus vicinus, commonly known as the tawny mole cricket, is a species of insect in the mole cricket family, Gryllotalpidae. This species is native to South America and also occurs in the Southern United States, where it arrived as a contaminant of ship's ballast around 1900. Colombian insect taxonomist Oscar Cadena-Castañeda studied specimens of the genus which had been called Scapteriscus, and decided that it included two groups; a smaller group (the true Scapteriscus) and a larger group that he named Neoscapteriscus (a new genus) in 2015. North American mole cricket taxonomists agreed with his decision and altered Orthoptera Species File Online accordingly.
N. vicinus is a medium-sized mole cricket. Members of this genus are characterized by having two sharp claws and a blade-like process with a sharp edge on their fore legs. Other mole crickets have three or four claws. Its colour is yellowish-brown with a dark prothorax. It can be differentiated from the rather similar Neoscapteriscus borellii by the two claws that are almost touching at the base, whereas in N. borellii, they are widely separated. The song of N.vicinus, produced only by the males, is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Mole Cricket sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 603rd most-seen of the 1057 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Mole Cricket in Houston on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Tawny Mole Cricket sightings, Houston ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Orlando (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tawny Mole Cricket is recorded against all the insects logged in Houston (16 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
