Leptophyes laticauda explained

Leptophyes laticauda is a species of bush-crickets belonging to the family Tettigoniidae.^[1]

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs from Provence across the Southern Alps to the Balkans and it is present in France, Italy, Switzerland and Croatia. These bush-crickets can be found on shaded and damp forest edges.^{[2] [3]}

Description

Leptophyes laticauda can reach a length of 16- in males, of 16- in females, with an ovipositor of 10-. It is the largest species of the genus Leptophyes. The basic body color of this species is light green punctuated by numerous small black spots, with a wide reddish brown longitudinal stripe along the back. Antennae, lower legs, feet, wings and cerci are yellow to reddish-brown. The wings are greatly shortened. In males cerci are stout and angularly bent, with a blunt tip.^{[4] [5]}

Biology

Leptophyes laticauda mainly feed on leaves of many deciduous woods, on blackberry and on nettle. Adults appear from July to October.^[3]

Bibliography

• Heiko Bellmann: Der Kosmos Heuschreckenführer. Die Arten Mitteleuropas sicher bestimmen. Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart 2006,
• Chopard (1951) Orthoptéroïdes, Faune de France, Fédération Française des Sociétés de Sciences Naturelles, Paris 56:359 pp., 531 figs
• Defaut [Ed.] (2001), La détermination des Orthoptères de France, Defaut, Bedeilhac 85
• Fontana, Buzzetti, Cogo & Odé (2002), Guida al riconoscimento e allo studio di cavallette, grilli, mantidi e insetti affini del Veneto: Blattaria, Mantodea, Isoptera, Orthoptera, Phasmatodea, Dermaptera, Embidiina, Museo Naturalistico Archaeologico di Vicenza, Vicenza 1-592
• Griffini (1893) Ortotteri del Piemonte. I. Locustidi, Bollettino dei Musei di Zoologia ed Anatomia Comparata della R. Università di Torino (Boll. Musei Zool. Anat. Comp. R. Univ. Torino) 8(141):1-29

Notes and References

1. http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=4423 Orthoptera Species File online
2. http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2011/details/species/id/7678542 Catalogue of life
3. http://www.pyrgus.de/Leptophyes_laticauda_en.html European locusts and their ecology
4. http://www.orthoptera.ch/arten/item/leptophyes-laticauda Orthoptera
5. ROY M.J.C. KLEUKERS, BAUDEWIJN ODÉ & PAOLO FONTANA Two new cryptic Leptophyes species from southern Italy (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)