Saving the small things that run the planetLatin name: Ruspolia nitidula
Notable feature: Only active at night- a large green species with a cream-coloured band across the top of the head. Both sexes have wings extending well beyond the end of the abdomen.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Where in the UK: First recorded on the Isles of Scilly in 2003 and then on mainland Britain in 2005- since then further records along the southeast of England. Naturalised- a scarce vagrant and accidental import.
The Large Conehead (Ruspolia nitidula) is a large and slender bright green bush-cricket with a conical shaped head. A cream-coloured band runs across the top of the head and back through the eyes. The wings are the same bright green colour as the body. A black stripe runs down the tibia of each leg. They are a nocturnal species (only seen at night).
Their native range is central and southern Europe, where the species occurs on riverbanks and in other wet habitats with long grass. The Large Conehead has been spreading northwards in recent years – due to the change in climate.
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