Unidentified insect

[Padfield]

It's not a butterfly, but there are a lot of experts in other areas on these forums.

Can anyone name this pregnant lady, who I found in Spain this summer. She looks like a cross between a grasshopper and a mantis.



Thanks for any help,

Guy

[Paul Wetton]

Hi G

It's some kind of bush cricket and it looks like a boy as it has no obvious ovipositer at the back end. Real wierd looking insect though. Very leggy even for a bush cricket.

[Padfield]

Thanks, Paul. If it helps at all, here is the tip of the abdomen:



I had assumed it was a female from the fat tummy - I guessed this species had a short ovipositor. I'll do some research on bush crickets.

Guy

[Ian Pratt]

I suggest you try Paul Brock who wrote the book about insects of the New Forest etc. He is very knowledgeable and is a UKbutterflies contributor.
Regards
Ian

[Padfield]

Thanks Ian. I'll give him and others time to find the post, then maybe drop him a line if I don't get an answer. I found it a curious and interesting insect at the time then forgot about it after I got back from Spain, with all the other things I had to do.

Guy

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Guy,

My money is on the subfamily Phaneropterinae, possibly Phaneroptera sp. of which there are quite a few. I'm not sure how many occur in Spain.

Good luck.

Kind regards. Mark

[geniculata]

Hi guy,

Paul brock is in oz at the moment, but the man to ask is mikhail.

gary.

[Gibster]

Hi Guy,

looks to me to be the brown morph of Tylosis liliifolia, the Lily Bush-cricket.
Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tylopsis_lilifolia

Cheers,

Gibster.

PS - and it's definitely a boy!!!

[Padfield]

Thank you again, all. Yes, liliifolia looks at least very close, and probably exact. I'd overlooked it in my insect book because it only showed the green morph but the brown morph on Wikipedia is the spitting image.

Guy

[Roger Gibbons]

Here are a few weird creatures seen in Provence over the last couple of years. I have no idea what they are and would be interested if anyone knows. The cricket is almost life-size (a slight exaggeration, but they are enormous). The last one has a wing span of about nine inches.

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Roger,

I think I know some of these:

1. I should know this but am not sure enough to comment.
2. Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) (Female).
3. Unknown.
4. Antlion (possibly Euroleon nostras).

Hope this helps,

Vince

[Roger Gibbons]

Hi Vince,

Many thanks. I am even more impressed when I note the time of your posting.

Roger

[Paul Wetton]

Hi Roger

1. is some type of Long Horned beetle of which there are many and I know nothing about.

I can close 3. down to some type of bush cricket probably something like Ephippiger cruciger or other similar species but again I am no authority on these but this may spur someone on with a more accurate identification.

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Roger,

To add to Vince’s earlier post:

1. Morimus asper (Cerambycidae).
4. Antlion (possibly Palpares libelluloides).

I hope this helps.

Kind regards. Mark

[Sylvie_h]

Hi Roger,

I agree with the following identifications:

1/ Morimus Asper (as antennae are longer than the apex, it is a male) : this longhorn beetle is common in the South of France and the larvae lives in beech but can also be found in conifers.
2/ Libellula depressa or Broad bodied chaser (female) : one of the most common dragonfly in Europe.
4/ Palpares libelluloides which is an ant-lion : common in the Meditarranean and easily disturbed in the day time when it is hiding in the grass. These ant-lions are mainly active at night.

Hope this helps!
Sylvie

[Steve Babbs]

Sadly identifying Orthoptera in Europe can be very tricky due to the lack of field guide, I've still got stuff to identify form a trip to Bulgaria, two years ago. The nearest to a field guide is A Field Guide to the Grasshoppers and Crickets of Britain and Northern Europe H Bellman. Which is far from ideal, even when you're in 'Northern' Europe. It's a pity because bush-crickets are , for me, among Europe's most spectacular insects.

[Mikhail]

The bush-cricket is Ephippiger provincialis. According to my book it can measure up to 41mm in length. Anyone requiring a guide to the orthoptera of France should consider:
Guide des sauterelles, grillons et criquets d"Europe occidentale by Bellmann and Luquet. The title might lead you to believe it covers Spain, but it doesn't.

Misha

[Roger Gibbons]

I have just caught up with this track, so many thanks to Sylvie, Mark, Mikhail, Paul, Steve. I have relabelled the photos and will eventually build up a library of the more interesting insects of Var. I still have a few dozen photos of orchids to identify at some point.

The bush-crickets are huge in Var. After the floods in June 2010, vast numbers of them were on the move in the maquis, thousands getting squished on the roads.

A few years back I stopped briefly at the roadside at night and when I got back in the car and drove away, I felt something very large slowly crawling up the back of my neck… a close encounter with Ephippiger provincialis.

[Sylvie_h]

Hi Roger,

Maybe you know or have it already, but there is an excellent identification guide on Orchids by Pierre Delforge : guide des Orchidées d'Europe, d'Afrique du Nord et du Proche-Orient published by Delachaux et Niestlé. It is in French but since I bought it, it may have been translated in English.
The author has extensively travelled everywhere and all the orchids you can possibly find in France are in the book. This is the best book I've ever bought - it is full of information such as pollinators (when known indicated for each species), how different species of orchids are pollinated, all the subspecies are described and the photographs are of nice quality - I've managed to identify all the orchids that I have photographed so far thanks to Mr Delforge.
Sylvie

[Rogerdodge]

http://www.nhbs.com/orchids_of_europe_n ... 41586.html
Available in English - and not a bad price either.
Ideal Christmas present.
(I must let Rose read this post..... )