Rainbow Grasshopper vs Grey Bush-Cricket
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Rainbow Grasshopper | Grey Bush-Cricket |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dactylotum variegatum | Platycleis albopunctata |
| Order | Orthoptera | Orthoptera |
| Family | Acrididae | Tettigoniidae |
| Size | 20-30mm | 16-22 mm |
| Habitat | Deserts & Drylands | Grasslands |
| Diet | Herbivores | Seed Feeders |
| Regions | North America | Western and Southern Europe |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Rainbow Grasshopper
A small short-winged grasshopper brightly patterned in red, orange, blue, and black. Despite its vivid warning colors, it is not actually toxic. It is slow-moving and easy to observe.
Did You Know?
Its striking rainbow coloring is a bluff; it has no toxins but mimics the appearance of genuinely poisonous insects.
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.