Short-tailed cricket

Systematic position: Anurogryllus muticus belongs to the order Orthoptera and the family Gryllidae. This cricket species is known for its fossorial habits, spending the majority of its life cycle within complex burrow systems constructed in the soil.

Affected crops: The pest is polyphagous, capable of causing significant economic losses to various vegetable crops, nursery seedlings, and ornamental plants. It poses a particular threat to succulent young plants that are easily accessible to the crickets during their nocturnal activity.

Biology and life cycle: The species exhibits maternal care, with females protecting eggs and nymphs within their burrows. The development occurs entirely within the soil, where nymphs feed on roots and the basal parts of stems, gradually increasing their feeding pressure as they mature into adults.

Damage and harmfulness: The primary mode of damage is the severance of young seedlings at the soil surface. By cutting off stems and dragging plant tissue into their subterranean burrows, these crickets can decimate entire rows of crops in a very short period of time.

Protection measures: Management strategies include cultural practices such as deep tillage to disrupt burrow structures and reduce population density. Chemical control is effectively implemented through the use of poison baits containing specific insecticides applied around the base of plants during the evening hours when the crickets are most active.