The forelimbs of a mole and mole cricket. What functions do the organs of the mole and mole cricket, indicated on

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The mole cricket (aka cabbage mole cricket) is an arthropod insect that belongs to the order Orthoptera, suborder long-whiskered, superfamily Cricketaceae, mole cricket family (Gryllotalpidae), mole cricket subfamily (Gryllotalpinae).

Where did the name “bear” come from?

Mole crickets got their name for their large size, brownish-brown color, massive clawed front legs and pubescent body, which makes it possible to compare this insect with. There are several popular names for these insects: cabbage grass, mole cricket or cricket mole, earthen crayfish, top.

The animal is called a cabbage plant for its love of young cabbage seedlings. The Latin name of the mole cricket from the genus Gryllotalpa sounds like “mole cricket”. This is confirmed by the similarity with a cricket in the structure of the body and the ability to make sounds. It looks like a mole cricket with its widened front paws and ability to burrow into the ground. The front part of the insect resembles a crayfish: the structure of the head, shell, mustache and paws, somewhat similar to claws. The mole cricket is called a top because of the sharp claws on its front paws that resemble teeth.

Medvedka - description and photo. What does a bear look like?

Mole crickets are large insects. The length of their body varies from 3.5 to 5 cm, and the thickness reaches 1.2-1.5 cm. The body of the cabbage plant is colored silky brownish-brown on top, and brownish-yellow on the bottom. The insect's body is covered with tiny hairs.

The head of the mole cricket has a prognathic, or straight, position in relation to the body. Its axis coincides with the axis of the body, and the oral organs, which are powerful jaws, are directed forward.

Near the jaws there are 2 pairs of tentacles.

The large, clearly visible eyes of the mole cricket have a facet structure and are located on the sides of the head.

Thread-like antennae grow on the head of the insect, slightly extending beyond the pronotum. They are shorter compared to the whiskers of other representatives of crickets.

The large and flat pronotum of the mole cricket with the lateral parts (blades) hanging down is a distinctive feature of the insect. The midthorax and metathorax of the insect are connected. The head and front part of the animal's body are covered with a dense chitinous shell - a device for pushing and compacting the earth when digging holes. Because of this shell, the mole cricket resembles a crayfish.

The abdomen of the cabbage plant is thick, reaching 1 cm in diameter, consists of 10 tergites and 8-9 sternites. The apex of the abdomen has anal and genital plates. Females do not have an ovipositor. The last segment of the abdomen has long, flexible cerci, or caudal appendages, covered with small hairs, resembling antennae in appearance.

Mole crickets have 2 pairs of wings:

• The forewings are transformed into short and leathery elytra, covered with thick veins. In length they reach only the middle of the abdomen. The left elytra of insects from the cricket superfamily is always covered by the right one.
• The hind pair are long, wide, transparent, membranous wings with fine venation. In a calm state, they are folded like a fan under the elytra and extended along the abdomen in the form of cords. During the flight of an insect, the hind wings take an active part, while the elytra are involved to a limited extent.

Males differ from females in the venation of their elytra. There are also wingless individuals of both sexes, but they are less common. By the way, the larvae do not have wings.

The mole cricket has 3 pairs of limbs, each of which consists of a coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia and a 3-segmented tarsus.

By the way, the auditory apparatus (or organ of hearing) of the mole cricket, like that of many other chirping orthoptera insects (grasshoppers, crickets), is located on the shins of the forelimbs and has an oval or narrow slit-like shape.

The hind legs of the insect are strong and designed for movement; there are 1-4 spines on their inner side. The claw-like forelimbs are a digging apparatus. The thigh and lower leg are greatly expanded, and the tarsus is shortened. On the shin there are 4, and on the tarsus there are 2 black spike-like teeth, with which the mole cricket crashes into the ground.

There are auditory openings on the front legs of the mole cricket. They have an oval or narrow-slit shape.

What sounds does a bear make?

By rubbing the hard front elytra against each other, the mole cricket produces sounds that can be heard at a distance of more than half a kilometer. Stridulation, or trills, facilitates communication between insects. By the way, the stridulatory apparatus of representatives of the cricket superfamily and that of grasshoppers differ:

• In crickets, the vein-bow is located on the right elytra, and the vein against which the bow rubs is located on the left.
• The stridulatory apparatus of grasshoppers occupies a smaller area on the elytra and is not as developed.

Mostly male mole crickets sing, but females are also capable of chirping. A mole cricket can make sounds both during the day and at night, being both on the surface of the earth and underground. The calling night trills of males are loud, their sound is sharp and low. When moving through underground passages, insects emit shorter and dull chirping sounds. By the way, the sound power of a mole cricket is 1.4 mW. For comparison: in a cricket this figure reaches 0.06 mW.

What does a bear eat?

Mole cricket is the most common pest of vegetable, fruit, melon, berry, and garden crops. These insects damage roots, tubers, root collars, seeds, underground parts of plants, and sometimes even eat seedlings and young plants. Mole crickets destroy beets (table, sugar and fodder), cabbage, tomatoes, onions, beans, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, turnips, rutabaga, radishes, pumpkin, watermelons, melons, sweet potatoes, poppy seeds, hemp, sunflowers, hops, tobacco, flax, various shrubs, parsley and other umbelliferous plants. Mole crickets damage crops of oats, barley, rice, millet, soybeans, chumise, paisa, and kaoliang. In the southern regions they destroy more exotic plants: citrus fruits (,), tea, cotton, peanuts, cotton. In nurseries and young orchards, trees such as plums, cherries, cherries, apricots, and peaches can suffer from mole crickets.

In forests, the insect damages the roots of young beeches, poplars, and other trees. In addition to plant foods, mole crickets eat earthworms, larvae, and other insects.

Where does the bear live?

Mole crickets are distributed almost everywhere in Europe (except Norway and Finland), in Central and Southeast Asia, the Caucasus, the islands of Japan, the Philippine Islands, India, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia. These insects also live in North Africa, Australia, North and South America. In Russia, the mole cricket is found everywhere - from the European part to the Far East, except for the northern regions of the country.

The mole cricket's habitat is wet places, meadows, floodplains of rivers and other bodies of water. Insects live mainly in underground passages. They burrow in fertilized, well-warmed, humus soil of vegetable gardens and melon fields, and are often found near irrigation canals and in wetlands. They love places with high groundwater levels.

Lifestyle of mole cricket (kapusyanka)

Basically, mole crickets lead a hidden lifestyle. They stay underground all day, making passages in the surface layer of soil and eating plants encountered along the way. They only come to the surface at night. The presence of mole crickets on the site can only be determined by winding, loosened ridges of earth, holes in the soil and completely healthy-looking plants that suddenly begin to die.

This is what a mole cricket's passages look like on the surface of the earth. Author of the photo: Pochtareva Natalya Mikhailovna

At night, mole crickets crawl out of their burrows to the surface and move to other areas in search of food. Sometimes they fly considerable distances. They are often attracted to bright lights. During breeding, female mole crickets fly towards the sounds made by males for mating.

The mole cricket quickly burrows into the ground and moves, flies and swims beautifully, overcoming even significant water obstacles. The insect has adapted to swimming due to the fact that floodplain areas, the mole cricket’s favorite habitats, are filled with water during the spring flood.

Mole cricket reproduction

Mole crickets begin to reproduce in the spring, after a mass exit from wintering. Their fertilization is spermatophore, like other representatives of Orthoptera. Mating takes place underground. Offspring appear in summer.

For their offspring, insects prepare a home: they dig complex, densely branched labyrinths around the roots of plants and, at a shallow depth (5-10 cm from the surface), arrange spherical nests about 10 cm in diameter. Individuals of both sexes take part in this process. Inside the ball there is a nesting chamber the size of a chicken egg, the walls of which are well compacted. There, the female mole cricket lays from 300-350 to 600 eggs. This is a very important period for the survival of insects, because the offspring located underground are completely dependent on temperature and humidity. The female does not leave the nest, guarding it, maintaining ventilation and temperature. To do this, she clears the passages from the ground, eats up the roots of plants that cast a shadow on the nesting site. Mole cricket eggs are similar to millet grains: oval, yellowish-gray, 2 mm in size.

After 10-20 days, depending on the soil temperature, gray, six-legged, wingless larvae (nymphs) emerge from the eggs, which live in the nest under the protection of the female for 20-30 days. At the end of this period of time, the female begins to freeze and after some time dies. After this, the mole cricket larvae crawl away, dig separate holes and begin to feed.

The development of larvae takes a long time, with incomplete transformation. This period differs in different regions. In the south they develop within 1-2 years, in the north 2-2.5 years. The mole cricket larva is similar to the adult, but with smaller sizes, underdeveloped wings and genitals. In the early stages of development, they are very mobile, nimble and jump well, like. During the period of development from larva to mature adult, mole crickets molt 8-9 times.

Where and how does the mole cricket winter?

Mole cricket larvae of 2-6 instars (implying 2-6 molts) and adults overwinter in soil, humus or manure. They burrow much deeper into the ground than in summer. The larvae deepen by 25 cm, adults - by 60, and sometimes 100-120 cm. They make winter depressions at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees. After wintering, mole crickets come to the surface when the soil temperature reaches 12-15 degrees.

Types of mole crickets, photos and names

Medvedkas hardly differ from each other in appearance and lifestyle. Some can be distinguished from each other only by the number of chromosomes.

According to the latest research and information presented on the website orthoptera.speciesfile.org, the Far Eastern mole cricket (lat. Gryllotalpa fossor) is synonymous with the African mole cricket (lat. Gryllotalpa africana).

Below is a description of several varieties of mole crickets.

• Common mole cricket (lat.Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa)

Widespread species. The body size of the insect reaches 3.5-5 cm, the length of the pronotum is 1.2-1.6 cm, the elytra is 1.3-2.1 cm, the hind femur is 1-1.3 cm. The body is dark brown, with lighter, brownish-yellow belly, covered with dense small hairs. The head and back are almost black. The abdomen is yellowish or olive in color.

Widely distributed in Europe, except Scandinavian countries. The common mole cricket also lives in Russia, North Africa and some areas of Asia: Transcaucasia, Asia Minor and Western Asia, the Middle East, Iran, Kazakhstan.

• African mole cricket (eastern mole cricket) (lat.Gryllotalpa africana)

It has smaller dimensions than the common mole cricket: the body is 2.0-3.5 cm, the length of the pronotum is 0.6-0.9 cm, the length of the elytra is 0.8-1.2 cm. The color is brown-yellow above and yellow below.

African mole crickets live in Central, South and Southeast Asia, on the Japanese and Philippine Islands, Ceylon and Madagascar, Korea, the Russian Far East, Australia, New Zealand, and in the tropics and subtropics of Africa.

• Ten-toed mole cricket(lat.Neocurtilla hexadactyla)

A variety characterized by its small size: from 1.9 to 3.3 cm in length. Initially, these mole crickets inhabited North and Central America, and from there they settled into South America.

• Steppe mole cricket(lat.Gryllotalpastepposa)

It is a morphological double of the common mole cricket, that is, it is absolutely similar in appearance. The length of the insect reaches 4-5.4 cm. The body color is brown-yellow.

The habitat of the mole cricket is Moldova, the south of Ukraine, the Southern District of Russia and the south of Turkmenistan.

The body length of the insect varies from 3.8 to 4.4 cm, the length of the oval pronotum is 1.1-1.3 cm, the elytra is 1.5-1.7 cm. The body structure, lifestyle, nutrition and reproduction of this insect are characteristic for the whole family, like the brownish-yellow color.

It is a halophile, that is, it is found on saline soils along the shores of seas and lakes, as well as on wet salt marshes. Single-spined mole crickets live in the south of Moldova and Ukraine, in the Lower Volga region of Russia and the Rostov region, in Crimea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan and China. Its habitat may change depending on the distribution of salt marshes and solonetzes.

su_quote]Today, almost every farmer has encountered pests that spoil the crops on the site. The ones that cause the most problems are those that dig into the ground, thereby damaging the root system of plants. This article will discuss the rather interesting question of why the mole cricket is compared to a mole, as well as the peculiarities of their life activity, habitats, nutrition and underground activity.

It is somewhat unusual to compare these representatives of the fauna, but they have such features that one cannot help but notice the similarities.

So what unites moles and mole crickets? Everything is quite simple, these two species lead an underground lifestyle, that is, they are constantly underground, only occasionally crawling to the surface. It is easy for them to move under a thick layer of soil, thereby creating complex systems of tunnels that stretch over long distances. It is there, underground, that each of them has their own hole, where they live, stock up on food, hunt, and eat.

In constant darkness they are deprived of daylight. Therefore, these pests are accustomed to using other senses. To obtain food for themselves, find the necessary underground passages and survive, they constantly use their scent and developed sense of touch. Mole crickets and moles are very sensitive to vibration - this allows you to determine the distance to the sound source, the possible size, as well as the likely threat. Thanks to this feature, these representatives of the fauna can easily do without sunlight and without good vision.

Video “Description of a mole cricket”

From the video you will learn a lot of interesting things about the bear.

Habitats

The most favorite habitats of mole crickets and mole crickets are country gardens, farms, and gardens.

Many people had to deal with the fact that in some places the ground was dug up from the inside when harvesting potatoes. This means that the mole was looking for food here. Sometimes you can drive a shovel into the ground and come across a small tunnel - this is where a mole cricket could dig its own passage.

Such pitted soil greatly disturbs gardeners, which is why various remedies for mole crickets and moles have appeared. Also now on the market you can find special mole and mole cricket repellers that emit high-frequency sound.

They can also be found in other places: in meadows, large fields, and even near bodies of water, if they have a calm current. In addition to all of the above, there were eyewitnesses who met moles in the forest and forest-steppe zones.

Armed with this information, we can conclude that these two species can be found anywhere where there is moist and loose soil. But it should not be swampy, as this significantly complicates the ability to dig into the ground or find food for oneself.

Devices for digging holes

If you look at the burrowing limbs up close, they look quite funny, but they do have some similarities. They perform exactly the same functions: digging, digging, raking, pulling, and yet they have different origins (due to completely different species). Both contenders have forelimbs that are slightly turned outward and larger in size than the rest of the paws and legs. This is necessary to make it easier to rake the soil. The front pair of mole crickets look like two tenacious hooks, which allow them to move quite quickly under a thick layer of soil.

The mole has full-fledged shovel-shaped paws (like the buckets of an excavator), which are armed with long and strong claws.

With their “shovels and hooks” they rake the soil, scattering it to the sides, pushing off with their hind limbs. Thus, they can move in any direction and in any plane. At the same time, pests are well oriented in their possessions.

Method of movement underground

The body of the mole and mole cricket is very well adapted for moving underground. In both, it is oblong and rounded. The structure of the head resembles a pointed tip. If an insect’s body itself is smooth, reminiscent of a streamlined, slippery shell, then a mammal has fur, the hairs of which grow straight. Therefore, when the mole starts to move, the fur always lies in the right direction.

Living in the ground, they need to constantly eat something, so they dig tunnels and can move in them in different directions at a fairly high speed.

Nutrition

All animals and insects feed on something, and our mole and mole cricket, living underground, feed on what they found in it.

Mole crickets come in different types; they can feed on plants, roots, leaves, and stems. They are predators, eating smaller insects, small bugs or earthworms. And they can also be omnivores. Being a nocturnal insect, the “top” (as the mole cricket is popularly called) feeds mainly at night, and is practically invisible during the day.

Moles, in turn, are predators; their diet includes the same earthworms, insects, insect larvae, slugs, and even our mole cricket gets into its food. He needs to eat both day and night in order to receive a sufficient amount of energy, which is spent on constantly digging underground tunnels. In very rare cases, when a mole comes to the surface, it can catch a lizard, climb into a bird’s nest that is on the ground - they can steal a chick from there. A mole can also catch a mouse, a vole or even a frog. This type of mammal digests its food very quickly (in about four hours). And in view of this feature, we can come to the conclusion that the mole acts approximately like this: it digs the ground, finds something to eat, eats and rests, and after a short sleep it again begins to dig the ground in search of food.

More often we meet these inhabitants in gardens, where food is always in abundance, and there are no large predators that hunt them in the wild.

Many people ask the question “Why is a bear compared to a mole?” In order to figure it out, let's carefully look at what a mole cricket looks like and what similarities can be found with a mole in its lifestyle.

Mole cricket (Gryllotalpa) is an insect belonging to the Orthoptera family. The body length is about 45 mm, has hard elytra and very strong claws. Lives underground in burrows.

But what does she have in common with the mole? You can select six main similarities:

Similarity of names

Literally, “Gryllotalpa” translates as “mole cricket.”

Lifestyle – underground

Insects and moles lead an underground lifestyle. Easily create the most complex underground passages in their system

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Habitats

Favorite habitats of insects and moles: vegetable gardens and meadows, as well as river floodplains.

Devices for digging holes

Upon closer examination, both have similar adaptations for digging holes and tunnels. The insect's forelimbs are also slightly everted, and the fore tibia is thickened.

Method of movement underground

The body structure of both is perfectly adapted for movement in underground burrows, in any direction, both forward and backward.

Nutrition

Both have food preferences for small insects, larvae and plant roots.

Considering what a mole cricket looks like, it is impossible to draw a direct parallel with its resemblance to a mole. But having studied in more detail the lifestyle, the method of digging holes and the similarity of appetites, we can say with confidence that they are similar.


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Modern biological science has enough facts that prove the existence of a process of evolutionary changes in living organisms. One of them is homologous which will be discussed in our article.

Evidence of evolution

The organic world of our planet is simply amazing in its diversity. All living organisms are so different that it is quite difficult to assume the fact of their unity of origin. However, there is a whole range of evidence for this. First of all, this is the similarity of the chemical composition, namely the presence of molecules of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. All representatives of the kingdoms of living nature, except viruses, have a cellular structure.

Embryonic development of vertebrates

Embryology is the science of embryonic development. Research by scientists has shown that in the early stages of development, vertebrates are practically no different from each other. Notochord, neural tube, gill slits in the pharynx - all these signs are present in birds, fish, and humans. In the course of further development, organisms of different classes undergo metamorphoses.

Morphological evidence of evolution

One of the leading evidence of the evolutionary process is the similarity in the structure of different parts of the body. This feature is called morphological. A striking example of the relationship between individual classes of vertebrates is the platypus. In a number of characteristics, this animal occupies an intermediate position between reptiles, birds and mammals. Accordingly, the platypus has characteristics of representatives of all of the listed classes.

For example, this animal reproduces by laying eggs. At the same time, he feeds his young with milk, like mammals. Its webbed feet, the way it filters water through its beak, and its flattened nose give it a bird-like appearance. It also produces poison, like many reptiles.

Homologous and similar organs

Some organs of animals and plants, despite their different functions, have a common origin. For example, pea tendrils attach the plant to a support, and cactus spines reduce the rate of water evaporation. But in both cases these structures are This phenomenon has its own name - homology of organs.

But barberry needles and raspberry thorns have different origins. In the first case, these are lateral leaves, and in the second, they are derivatives of the plant’s integumentary tissue. Such organs are called analogous. The wide wings of an eagle and a butterfly also have different origins. Although at first glance this is quite difficult to determine, since all these structures provide flight. But in birds these are modified forelimbs covered with feathers. And in insects, wings represent outgrowths of the integument. Their limbs are located under the body and do not participate in flight.

Homologous and similar organs are direct evidence of the common origin of various animals. And the differences in the features of their structure are due to adaptation to different habitats and lifestyles.

What organs are called homologous: examples

The most typical example of homologies are the forelimbs of vertebrates. The flippers of a whale and a dolphin, the wings of a bird and a bat, human hands, the paws of a mole and a crocodile perform different functions. But their structure is similar. All these are the forelimbs of chordate vertebrates, consisting of three sections: the shoulder, forearm and hand.

Homologous organs also include different plants. They have significant differences in external structure and functions. The lily of the valley rhizome has elongated internodes, the potato tuber accumulates a supply of water with nutrients, and the bottom of the onion is the basis for attaching fleshy leaves. However, all homologous organs, examples of which we have examined, have a typical But that’s not all!

You can also consider which organs are called homologous using an example. The underground organ of plants can also change significantly under different growing conditions. Thus, in rutabaga and carrots, the main root thickens, storing nutrients. Such crops do not produce seeds in the first year. In autumn, their above-ground organs die off, and due to the underground roots, the plant survives the cold season. Such modifications are the answer to the question of what homologous organs are. Examples of these are also aerial, breathing and clinging roots.

Rudiments and atavisms

Morphological evidence of evolution is also those parts of plants and animals that are underdeveloped. In humans, this is the third eyelid, the second row of teeth, as well as the muscles that move the auricle.

The signs opposite to rudiments are atavisms. This is a manifestation of ancestral traits that are not characteristic of individuals of a given species. Examples include the development of the coccygeal spine, multiple nipples, and continuous hair in humans. If we consider animals, the development of the hind limbs in whales and snakes is an atavism.

So, homologous organs, examples of which were discussed in our article, along with analogies, rudiments and atavisms, are morphological evidence of the process of evolution. These signs appear in both animals and plants. Homologous organs are structures that have a common structural plan, but differ in the functions they perform. The presence of the listed characteristics in humans proves their origin from animals as a result of evolutionary transformations.