Arctic Seed Bug vs Great Green Bush-Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Seed Bug Great Green Bush-Cricket
Scientific Name Nysius groenlandicus Tettigonia viridissima
Order Hemiptera Orthoptera
Family Lygaeidae Tettigoniidae
Size 3-5 mm 28-42 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Underground
Diet Seed Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions Greenland, Arctic Canada, Iceland, Svalbard Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Seed Bug

A small, elongate grayish-brown seed bug with a narrow body and prominent eyes. It feeds on seeds and plant sap in Arctic tundra. Adults can tolerate freezing temperatures and are active throughout the short summer.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the very few true bugs found in Greenland, where it survives on seeds of the limited Arctic flora.

Great Green Bush-Cricket

One of the largest katydids in Europe, with a bright green body and long wings. Males produce a loud, sustained stridulation audible from great distances.

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Did You Know?

Despite being largely herbivorous, great green bush-crickets are avid predators and will readily hunt and consume other insects including caterpillars and flies.