Species of the Month September 2020

Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera

 

One of the more common Orthoptera to be found in south east Wales, the Dark Bush-cricket is a dark brown species with yellow underside and very short wings. It favours dense vegetation such as bracken and bramble, on which you may spot individuals sunbathing. It could be confused with Roesel's Bush-cricket, having a similar shape, however this species is much more brightly coloured and often has long wings. Grey Bush-cricket and Bog Bush-cricket are also found in our area, but are very rare with restricted ranges.

Another way to identify and/or record Dark Bush-cricket is through the song, a short penetrating chirp which can be heard day and night. It may not always be easy to see this species in dense vegetation, but we are happy to accept records based on the call. You can listen to the species on the Orthoptera Recording Scheme website.

Dark Bush-cricket is widespread throughout south Wales, but we only have just over 1,000 records in the SEWBReC database (view the Wales wide distribution on Aderyn).

You can find more information and photos of the species from NatureSpot and Steven Falk.

If you spot Dark Bush-cricket during September (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.