Mole Crickets are not frogs ....

One of the constant distractions I get when out trying to record frogs is creatures that sound like frogs.   I'm already discussed a couple of sneaky birds like the Lesser Nighthawk and Carolina Wren and a frog-impersonating Gray Fox, but the most common "false alarm" calls I get distracted by is the short frog-like trill of the Northern Mole Cricket (Neocurtilla hexadactyla).  

Northern Mole Cricket photo by Jordan Perrett
Used under Creative Commons License granted in this iNaturalist record 

This fossorial cricket lives in the eastern half of North America all the way down through the Panamanian Isthmus into South America.   And it has closely related species occurring beyond that range as well. 

Obviously, no one is going to confuse the appearance of this cricket with a frog. The problem with this cricket is its call and habits of calling.  This cricket will call from damp grassy areas buried deep under the grasses.  This is often where species of Pseudacris and other grassland amphibians will call.  So on more than one occasion I have pointed my microphone at one of these little arthropods and pressed record, only to remember I'd been fooled again!  (Not that there is anything wrong with recording insects, I just don't need any new hobbies! 😉)

Here's the call of a Northern Mole Cricket calling from a clump of dense, damp grass in Chambers County, Texas - 

Northern Mole Cricket from Chambers County, Texas

Compare that Mole Cricket call to the raspy trill of the Spotted Chorus Frog (Pseudacris clarkii), a species which calls from the same damp/flooded grassy areas -

It isn't just me that gets confused by these small Orthopterans. I spend considerable time identifying frog calls on iNaturalist and this species is one of the more common misidentifications I find. They are tricky. Not only do they sound like they might be a frog, they call from areas where you would expect a frog! 

So next time you are out in a damp grassy area and think you hear a frog.....stop and ask yourself..."Have I been fooled by the Northern Mole Cricket?" For me, the answer has been yes more times than I've like to admit! 🤣

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© Chris Harrison 2026