British Insects: the Genera of Orthoptera
| British Insects: the Genera of Orthoptera | |
Adults diurnal; 20–28 mm long; brownish grey, with the upper surfaces of the head and pronotum sometimes chestnut brown or even green.
The antennae long, with well over 30 segments. The pronotum with a median dorsal keel. Forewings well developed; greatly exceeding the abdomen when folded to about equalling the abdomen. Hindwings fully developed (in both sexes). Foreleg tarsi 4 segmented; mid-leg tarsi 4 segmented; hindleg tarsi 4 segmented. The hind femora smooth. The ovipositor relatively long, with the valves articulated along their length and forming a single structure; 8–11 mm long (upwardly curved). The males stridulous. The sound production alary. Auditory organs located in the fore-tibiae. The male cerci with an inner tooth near the middle.
British representation. 1 species. Platycleis albopunctata (denticulata) (Grey Bush-cricket). Native. Wales, southeast England, central southern England, southwest England, Isle of Wight, and Channel Islands.
Omnivorous to omnivorous but principally carnivorous (sometimes feeding on grasshopper nymphs); found outdoors in natural habitats (coastal, associated with coarse vegetation on dunes, shingle beaches, and south facing cliffs).
Classification. Suborder Ensifera; Superfamily Tettigonioidea; Tettigoniidae.
Comments. The first and second tarsal segments laterally grooved. Readily distinguished from the usual form of Metrioptera, which is brachypterous.
Illustrations. • Metrioptera and Platycleis (Lucas). • Conocephalidae, Meconematidae, Phaneropteridae, Tettigoniidae: Burr.
To view illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the genera of Orthoptera. Version: 9th April 2007. http://delta-intkey.com’.
