Stats

Lifespan

Annual

Size

Medium

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

South America

Movement

Burrowing

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Burrowing

Status

Uncommon

About

This burrowing insect lives in the underground soil of South America. Its shovel-like front legs can exert a force 30 times greater than its own body weight.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Orthoptera

Family

Gryllotalpidae

Genus

Neoscapteriscus

Species

Neoscapteriscus vicinus