Phaneroptera falcata

Common Sickle cricket ( Phaneroptera falcata ), female

The common sickle cricket ( Phaneroptera falcata) is a species in the subfamily of sickle terror ( Phaneropterinae ).

Features

These katydids are 12 to 18 millimeters long. You have a green base color, with the back and legs can also have a reddish tinge. The entire body is spotted very fine dark. The sensor of the animals are approximately four times longer than the body. The females have a side view very short, wide, almost at right angles upwardly curved saber laying. The males have long and strongly curved cerci on the abdomen end. This species is, apart from the very similar four- punk Term sickle cricket ( Phaneroptera nana ), which is flying from southern Europe only in the southern areas of Central Europe, the only Central European sickle -cricket, which has fully developed wings. The front wings are about as long to put back protrude slightly beyond the rear knee, the hind wings are still a good bit longer ( " parapter "). The side lobes of the pronotum are rounded and slightly longer than they are high. In addition to this feature, it also distinguishes her something narrower physique and not so clearly pronounced dark speckles in the coloring of their similar art

Similar Species

• Four Punk term sickle cricket ( Phaneroptera nana )

Occurrence

The animals are found in Central and Southern Europe, with its northern distribution about to Cologne runs and continues to expand northward. However, they sometimes omitted in many parts, such as in the Alpine foothills and in many parts of the Swabian Alb. They live in very warm climates, such as on verbuschtem dry grass and sand pits, and even in the garden rich settlement area.

Way of life

One finds the adult animals from August to October. They feed polyphagous of various deciduous trees and shrubs, but where they mainly feed on young shoots, as well as berries and fruits.

Singing

They chirp very softly, so that you can hear the song only up to a distance of about one meter. Your chirping occurs especially at night. Here, at irregular intervals " Zb " sounds heard.

Development

The females lay their eggs a flattened between the epidermis of the leaves of forage plants. The resulting hatching larvae go through six larval stages, while requiring a total of about 60 days for their development.