Tettigonia viridissima
| Great green bush-cricket | |
|---|---|
| |
| T. viridissima,male | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Tettigoniidae |
| Subfamily: | Tettigoniinae |
| Tribe: | Tettigoniini |
| Genus: | Tettigonia |
| Species: | T. viridissima
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tettigonia viridissima | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Tettigonia viridissima,thegreat green bush-cricket,[1]is a large species ofbush-cricketbelonging to the subfamilyTettigoniinae.[2]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
This species can be encountered in most ofEurope,in the easternPalearctic realm,in theNear East,and inNorth Africa,[3]especially in meadows, grasslands, prairies and occasionally in gardens at an elevation up to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) above sea level.[4]
Description[edit]
The adult males grow up to 28–36 millimetres (1.1–1.4 in) long, while females reach 32–42 millimetres (1.3–1.7 in).[4]This insect is most often completely green (but there are specimens completely yellowish or with yellow legs), excluding a rust-colored band on top of the body.[4]The organ of thestridulationof the males is generally brown.
Tettigonia viridissimais distinguished by its very long and thinantennae,which can sometimes reach up to three times the length of the body, thus differentiating them fromgrasshoppers,which always carry short antennae. It could be confused withTettigonia cantans,whose wings are a centimeter shorter than theovipositor,orTettigonia caudata,whose hindfemursbear conspicuous black spines.
The morphology of both sexes is very similar, but the female has an egg-laying organ (ovipositor) that can reach a length of 23–32 millimetres (0.91–1.26 in). It reaches the end of the elytra and is slightly curved downward.[5]
Thelarvaeare green and as theimagoshow a thin brown longitudinal stripe on their back. The ovipositor can be seen from the fifth stage; the wings appear in both genders from the sixth stage.
Biology[edit]
Tettigonia viridissimais carnivorous and arboreal. Its diet is mostly composed offlies,caterpillars and larvae.[4]Unlike grasshoppers, it is essentially active in day and night, as testified by its endless crepuscular and nocturnal singing.[4]The species can bite painfully but is not particularly aggressive. It is best to avoid holding the insect in the fist, as that almost guarantees a bite. They can fly, but they tend to avoid flying where possible. Most often they move "on foot" or jumps, which allow them to travel about in bushes and trees.
Gallery[edit]
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Males can be recognized by the absence of the ovipositor -
Females can be recognized by the ovipositor -
Nymph onPhleum pratense -
Anatomy of the head -
Mandibles -
Hearing bubble on the forelimb -
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Close-Up of a Tettigonia viridissima
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Female duringecdysis(molting)
References[edit]
- ^Ragge DR (1965).Grasshoppers, Crickets & Cockroaches of the British Isles.F Warne & Co, London. p. 299.
- ^Catalogue of life
- ^Fauna europaea
- ^abcdeINPN
- ^Michael Chinery, Insectes de France et d'Europe occidentale, Flammarion, 320 p. (ISBN978-2-0812-8823-2), p. 50-51(in French)
External links[edit]
Data related toTettigonia viridissimaat Wikispecies
Media related toTettigonia viridissimaat Wikimedia Commons- Video of Tettigonia viridissima in a tree
- Insectes-net
- Tettigonia viridissima
- Green grasshopper eating a butterfly
