Species of the Month: July 2017

Oak Bush-cricket Meconema thalassinum

 

Probably the most distinctive of the British Orthoptera, the Oak Bush-Cricket can often be found inside houses and in moth traps, due to their nocturnal habits and attraction to light. Their bright green colouration and distinctive shape make them easy to identify. The only possible confusion species is the Southern Oak Bush-cricket, which has only been recorded in Wales a few times (distribution map here). You can tell the species apart by the wings, which are missing on Southern Oak Bush-cricket. Please include a photo if you are unsure about which species you have found.

Oak Bush-Cricket are likely to be found throughout the SEWBReC area, but we only have 227 records of the species in our database. You can view the Welsh distribution of Oak Bush-Cricket here on Aderyn.

More information about the species and other Othoptera can be found on the Orthoptera and Allied Insects website.

If you spot Oak Bush-Cricket during July (or at any other time of year), please send us the record, ideally via SEWBReCORD or the LERC Wales App. Instructions on how to submit records are available here.