Gryllus campestris: Field cricket
An extremely rare insect in Britain, this is a medium-sized cricket with shiny, black
colouration and distinctive yellow patches at the base of the forewings, particularly in the
male. There was a sighting at Shoeburyness in Essex during 1985, which it is assumed,
was probably the result of accidental introduction on military equipment (C. Haes
pers.comm.). Several searches, both later that year and in subsequent years, failed to
detect its continued presence.
A further record for the County of a historical nature and therefore not part of this survey,
was found at Tilbury in 1961, and although this sighting remains doubtful, the habitat
does look promising and further searches are taking place in the area.
Gryllus campestris
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa: Mole cricket
Another very rare insect in Britain, this large cricket is rarely seen partly because it is a
largely subterranean, wetland species. There were no records confirmed for this insect
during the period of the survey, but a report was received from a person who had been
digging a garden at Wivenhoe near Colchester in 1985, and uncovered what he believed
was G. gryllotalpa. He studied the specimen noting that it was a cricket and returned it to
the soil, whereupon he looked it up in a book. Although not a naturalist as such, he had
a passing interest in natural history. It was a private garden being dug for a third party
and the sighting was never followed up.
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