[201] Leptophyes punctatissima, Speckled Bush-cricket
Introduction
Leptophyes punctatissima, the Speckled Bush-cricket, is a flightless, grasshopper-like insect with very long antennae and hundreds of tiny spots all over its green body.
Taxonomy
Kingdom – Animals
Phylum – Arthropods
Class – Insects
Order – Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, bush-crickets and others)
Suborder – Ensifera (Crickets and bush-crickets)
Family – Tettigoniidae (Bush-crickets)
Subfamily – Phaneropterinae
Tribe – Barbitistini
Genus Leptophyes
Scientific Name – Leptophyes punctatissima
Name
Latin ‘Ensi-fera’ or sword-bearer comes from the blade-like ovipositor.
Tettigonia and hence Tettigoniidae, come from the Latinized Greek name for a cicada, the onomatopoeic ‘tettix,’ from the noise of their stridulation. ‘Katydid’ is also onomatopoeic.
Lepto- is a Greek root meaning thin, for the long thin antennae, but I can’t identify -phyes. Punctatissimus means very spotted.
Bush-crickets
Members of the family Tettigoniidae, with 6 400 species, were previously called Long-horned Grasshoppers from their very long antennae. They are now known as Bush-crickets in the UK or Katydids in the USA and several other countries. This family contains most of the species from the suborder Ensifera, and it is divided into several subfamilies and tribes.
Description
Most people would call this insect a grasshopper but zoologists restrict that word to those with relatively short antennae. It is bright green and the spots cover its legs body and antennae. It may look distinctive when posing in the sunlight but its colouring provides very good camouflage.
The male has a brown stripe down his back and both male and female have tiny vestigial wings.
I only have pictures of an adult female.
She has a flat, curved ovipositor. You can see it and her wings better in close-up.
You may also see the final instar nymph, which has no wings or marking on the back. The spots are more marked and the long antennae are equally impressive.
Habitat and use
The Speckled Bush-cricket is common over most of Europe including all of Britain. It is often found in gardens either as an adult or as the final nymph form.
See also
I have to admit that Tettigonia viridissima, the Great Green Bush-cricket, is one of my all-time favourite insects. They are found all over Britain but it’s a long time since I have seen one. They are twice the size of Leptophyes punctatissima and have fully developed wings.
The Species of Britain 