Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima
Specled Bush-cricket, Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England, July 2009 - click for larger image Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England

July 2009

The Speckled Bush-cricket is found in southern England and Wales. They are quite common in overgrown gardens and similar rough grassland.
Specled Bush-cricket, Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England, July 2009 - click for larger image It is flightless though there are two tiny remnants of wings. The male, as shown here, lacks the large and obvious ovipositor of the female. Note the tiny black spots on the body which give the insect both its English and its scientific names.

Eggs are laid in bark where they overwinter hatching in May. The nymphs feed on the leaves of brambles, nettles and honeysuckle. Full maturity is reached by August and adults live until November. The male makes a faint, high-pitched chirp every few seconds.

There is an excellent page from the Suffolk Naturalists Society.
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