Meconema thalassinum

Distinguished from other European bush-crickets by its arboreal habit and unique male signaling behavior. Separated from the related Southern Oak Bush-cricket (Meconema meridionale), which has expanded its range into the UK, by subtle morphological differences and distribution. The extremely long antennae and pale green coloration distinguish it from grasshoppers (short antennae) and ground-dwelling crickets. The female's prominent ovipositor resembles that of the Great Green Bush-cricket (Tettigonia viridissima) and Long-winged Conehead (Conocephalus fuscus), but M. thalassinum is smaller and exclusively arboreal.

Exclusively arboreal, inhabiting the foliage of mature trees. Strongly associated with oak trees (Quercus spp.) but also occurs on other tree species. Requires mature woodland or parkland with established tree canopy.

Native to Europe, widespread and common across southern and central England and south Wales. Introduced to North America, first established on western Long Island and subsequently expanded to Rhode Island, Scarsdale, Stony Brook, and Ithaca, New York.

Adults present from late July through autumn. Nymphs emerge in late spring and reach maturity by late summer. Eggs laid in bark crevices overwinter.

Carnivorous, feeding on smaller invertebrates including lepidopteran larvae and caterpillars. Unlike most bush-crickets, does not consume plant material.

Eggs laid singly in crevices under tree bark. Nymphs emerge in late spring, developing through several instars. Adults reach maturity by late summer and persist into autumn. Overwintering stage is the egg.

Nocturnal. Males produce species-specific signals to attract females by drumming their hind limbs against leaves, creating substrate-borne vibrations. This drumming behavior replaces the stridulatory sound production typical of most Tettigoniidae. The resulting vibrations are transmitted through the leaf and are among the more complex acoustic signals produced by this group. Both sexes occupy tree foliage, where they hunt invertebrate prey.

Predator of foliar invertebrates, particularly caterpillars and other soft-bodied larvae. Serves as host for the parasitic nematode Spinochordodes tellinii, which manipulates host behavior to facilitate its own aquatic life cycle.

Subject of scientific interest due to its unique acoustic communication system and status as the first genome sequenced in family Tettigoniidae. Range expansion in North America provides case study in invasion biology.

• Meconema meridionaleSouthern Oak Bush-cricket; recently expanded range into UK from continental Europe; similar arboreal habit and morphology but distinct species
• Tettigonia viridissimaGreat Green Bush-cricket; much larger species with similarly prominent female ovipositor but stridulatory calling song and omnivorous diet
• Conocephalus fuscusLong-winged Conehead; shares prominent female ovipositor but ground-dwelling or shrub-layer habitat and stridulatory song production
• Leptophyes punctatissimaSpeckled Bush-cricket; small green bush-cricket but with shorter antennae and stridulatory song

• arboreal
• carnivorous
• drumming communication
• non-stridulatory
• invasive species
• genome sequenced
• parasite host

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Bug Eric: How Insects Sing
• What’s the difference between a cricket and a grasshopper? - Buglife Blog - Buglife
• I Brake for Dung Beetles! | Beetles In The Bush
• The Changing Distributions of our Grasshoppers, Crickets and Relatives - Buglife Blog - Buglife
• behavior | Beetles In The Bush | Page 6
• Scarabaeidae | Beetles In The Bush | Page 4
• The genome sequence of the oak bush-cricket, Meconema thalassinum (De Geer, 1773).