First finding of Steppe mole cricket Gryllotalpa stepposa (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) in Croatia

First finding of Gryllotalpa stepposa Zhantiev, 1991, a species typical of lowland steppe area of Eastern Europe, is documented for Croatia based on the shape of chitinized part of the epiphallus and the density of stridulatory teeth on male tegmen. All specimens from Valpovo, Podravina sample were brachypterous, which is usual for this species, morphologically very similar to the continental species G. gryllotalpa. Unusual variability is found in the appearance of veins on male tegmina, which should be investigated on a larger sample. This finding should encourage further research on mole crickets in Croatia, which will result in better understanding of their distribution and biogeography of this part of Europe in general.