Grey Bush-Cricket vs African Cotton Stainer
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Grey Bush-Cricket | African Cotton Stainer |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Platycleis albopunctata | Dysdercus fasciatus |
| Order | Orthoptera | Hemiptera |
| Family | Tettigoniidae | Pyrrhocoridae |
| Size | 16-22 mm | 13-18 mm |
| Habitat | Grasslands | Farmland |
| Diet | Seed Feeders | Seed Feeders |
| Regions | Western and Southern Europe | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Grey Bush-Cricket
A cryptic grey-brown bush-cricket of dry coastal grasslands and chalky hillsides in Europe. It sings a brief, staccato burst of clicks during warm afternoons.
Did You Know?
Its range in Britain is entirely coastal, restricted to warm south-facing cliff tops and undercliff grasslands.
African Cotton Stainer
A vividly red and black pyrrhocorid bug that is a significant pest of cotton across tropical Africa. It aggregates in large numbers on cotton plants where it feeds on developing bolls. The bold coloration signals its unpalatability to birds.
Did You Know?
Large mating aggregations of hundreds of individuals form dense red clusters on cotton plants, making them highly conspicuous to farmers.