14-6-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SICKLE BEARING BUSHCRICKET (Genus Phaneroptera)

                                           https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48130-Phaneroptera

Phaneroptera falcata, the sickle-bearing bush-cricket, is a species of Orthopterans belonging to the subfamily Phaneropterinae. It is herbivorous and commonly measures 24 to 36 mm long. It lives mainly in very warm scrub and grasslands areas, also on dry shrubbery and in sand pits and gardens.

19-7-2022 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SICKLE BEARING BUSHCRICKET (Genus Phaneroptera)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48130-Phaneroptera

5-7-2022 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SICKLE BEARING BUSHCRICKET (Genus Phaneroptera)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48130-Phaneroptera

1-7-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SICKLE BEARING BUSHCRICKET (Genus Phaneroptera)

The Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket (Phaneroptera falcata) is a slender, green insect in warm grasslands, known for its long wings, herbivorous diet (plants), and distinctive sickle-shaped ovipositor in females, used for laying eggs within leaves, with males chirping to attract mates. They are active in late afternoons/evenings, can fly long distances when startled, and are often found in gardens, shrubbery, and scrubland, sometimes mistaken for the similar Mediterranean Katydid. 

Key Characteristics

Appearance: Slender, bright green body, very long antennae, and wings that extend well past the body.

Size: Adults are typically 24-36 mm long.

Distinguishing Feature (Female): A sharp, right-angled turn on the ovipositor (egg-laying tube).

Distinguishing Feature (Male): Sub-genital plates end in diverging points. 

Habitat & Behavior

Habitat: Warm, dry areas like grasslands, shrubbery, gardens, and sand pits.

Activity: Most active in warm late afternoons and evenings.

Diet: Herbivorous, feeding on leaves, flowers, and pollen.

Flight: Capable of flying long distances when threatened.

Sound: Males produce chirps (stridulation) to attract females, heard via hearing organs (tympanal organs) on their front legs. 

Life Cycle & Reproduction

Egg-laying: Females insert eggs into plant leaves, often blackthorn, by bending their abdomen.

Eggs: Can be laid between leaf layers, making them flat. 

Often confused with the Mediterranean Katydid (Phaneroptera nana), but P. falcata has a more angular ovipositor and pronotum (body section).