News: September 2005

An Oxfordshire gardener has uncovered a mole cricket in his compost heap.

Mole crickets (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) are thought to be close to extinction in the UK, so the find has created a good deal of excitement. These insects can grow to 5cm in length and have distinctive shovel like front limbs (from which it gets its name). Anyone seeing such an insect is asked to avoid harming it, if possible take a photograph and report the find to the Natural History Museum, English Nature or Bristol Zoo.

Fiona Harvey. Plea to look out for rare mole cricket. Viewed at http://news.ft.com/cms/s/948e114a-1c16-11da-9342-00000e2511c8.html on September 5th 2005.