Ephippiger ephippiger

Ephippiger ephippiger
Ephippiger ephippiger, Germany
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Suborder:	Ensifera
Family:	Tettigoniidae
Genus:	Ephippiger
Species:	E. ephippiger
Binomial name
Ephippiger ephippiger (Fiebig, 1784) [1]
Synonyms
Gryllus ephippigerFiebig, 1784 Ephippigera [sic] vitiumServille, 1831 Ephippigera [sic] fabriciiFieber, 1853 Ephippiger fibigiiFieber, 1853 Ephippiger ephippiger mischtschenkoiHarz, 1966 Ephippiger ephippiger harziAdamovic, 1973 Ephippiger ephippiger usiAdamovic, 1973 Ephippiger ephippiger balkanicusAndreeva, 1985 Ephippiger ephippiger varnensisAndreeva, 1985 [2]

Ephippiger ephippiger, the saddle-backed bush cricket, is a species belonging to the family Tettigoniidae subfamily Bradyporinae. It is found primarily in central Europe, with the closely related species Ephippiger diurnus in the west. ^[2] The habitat consists of relatively dry and sparse areas with scarce vegetation, such as heather with a few trees, where it can be found both close to the soil and higher up in the vegetation. The saddle-backed bush cricket mainly eats insects and other small animals, but also plant parts. For arable farmers, it is a useful animal because it lives in plants but mainly hunts for plant-dwelling (pest) insects. It is active during the months of August to October; the males are mainly heard between eleven o'clock in the morning and nine o'clock in the evening. The sound is clearly audible and consists of a sharp, grating squeak that sounds like tieh, but is repeated in long runs with a frequency of about one or two times per second.

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  Male
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  Female
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  Head
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  Feeding

Close-Up of a Ephippiger ephippiger

References

1. Fiebig, J. 1784: Beschreibung des Sattelträgers. [Gryllus ephippiger]. Schriften der Berlinischen Gesellschaft naturforschender Freunde, Berlin 5 260-263, col. Fig.
2. Orthoptera Species File