| Tridactylidae Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Tridactylidae on a sandy bank | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Caelifera |
| Family: | Tridactylidae Brullé, 1835 |
| Subfamilies | |
| Synonyms | |
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Tridactyles, Tridactylites Brullé, 1835 | |
The Tridactylidae are a family in the insect order Orthoptera. They are small, mole-cricket-like insects, almost always less than 20 mm (0.79 in) long when mature. Generally they are shiny, dark or black, sometimes variegated or sandy-coloured. They commonly live in short tunnels and are commonly known as pygmy mole crickets, though they are not closely related to the true "mole crickets" (Ensifera), as they are included in the Caelifera suborder (related to grasshoppers).[1]
- ^ M. Burrow, M. D. Picke (2010). "Jumping mechanisms and performance of pygmy mole crickets (Orthoptera, Tridactylidae)" (PDF). The Journal of Experimental Biology. 213 (14): 2386–239. doi:10.1242/jeb.042192. PMID 20581268.