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Long-winged Conehead

Long-winged Conehead ©Giles San Martin

Long-winged conehead

The long-winged conehead is so-named for the angled shape of its head. It can be found in grasslands, heaths and woodland rides throughout summer.

Scientific name

Conocephalus discolor

When to see

May to October

Species information

Statistics

Length: 1.7-1.9cm
Common.

About

The long-winged conehead is a bush-cricket of rough grassland, dry heaths and woodland rides, as well as damp and coastal habitats. It is largely herbivorous, feeding on grasses, but will also eat small invertebrates. Nymphs emerge from mid-May onwards, moulting into their adult forms at the end of July. The 'song' of the long-winged conehead (a soft, hissing 'buzz') is barely audible to some human ears, though others can hear it well. You can also pick up the sound using a bat detector! Females lay their eggs in late summer in grass stems; here, they overwinter, ready to emerge next spring.

How to identify

One of the smaller bush-crickets, the long-winged conehead is easily identified by the combination of its green colour, brown stripe down the back, pointed head, and long, brown wings. The similar short-winged conehead, as the name suggests, has short wings, barely half the length of its body.

Distribution

Mainly found in southern and eastern England, but spreading northwards.

Did you know?

Crickets and grasshoppers have long hind legs, accommodating large muscles that enable them to jump. Research has shown that the muscles of a grasshopper's legs have ten times the power of human muscles working at top speed, and some crickets can jump as high as twenty times their own body length.