Arthropods Daily – Issue No. 343

Pholidoptera griseoaptera, also known as the dark bush-cricket, is a small insect with a body length of 11 to 21 mm for males and 15 to 20 mm for females. It has a sickle-shaped and upward curved ovipositor in females, while males have two short cerci. The species can be found in Europe, from northern Spain to the Near East, and is fairly common in Great Britain. Its preferred habitats include forest edges or clearings, wastelands, and parks, avoiding sandy areas. The dark bush-cricket is omnivorous, feeding on small insects and plants. It lays eggs in the soil, dead branches, bark crevices, and rotting wood, and its larvae require two years for full development.