Barbitistes obtusus

Barbitistes obtusus
Barbitistes cf. obtusus. Male
Barbitistes obtusus. Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Family:	Phaneropteridae
Subfamily:	Phaneropterinae
Genus:	Barbitistes
Species:	B. obtusus
Binomial name
Barbitistes obtusus Targioni-Tozzetti, 1881
Synonyms
Barbitistes alpinus Fruhstorfer, 1920 Barbitistes obtusus alpina Fruhstorfer, 1920 Barbitistes obtusus alpinus Fruhstorfer, 1920

Barbitistes obtusus, common name Southern Saw-tailed Bush-cricket, is a species of katydids crickets in family Phaneropteridae subfamily Phaneropterinae.

Description

Barbitistes obtusus can reach a length of 15–20 millimetres (0.59–0.79 in). It is very similar to Barbitistes serricauda, so that both species are difficult to distinguish from each other. The ground color varies greatly from gray and light brown to olive green and turquoise. Dark individuals are rare. The abdomen is short and thick, while the pronotum and head are quite small. The antennae are about a body length. The legs are of medium length and wear small spines. The sharply formed wings are light brown. Two yellow stripes with red border extend from the eyes on pronotum and tegmina. The head and the legs are reddish. The abdomen has tiny dark spots. The cerci of the male are dark red, clearly S-shaped, with rounded apex. They are the most important distinction between this species and Barbitistes serricauda. Adults can be found from June to August feeding on plants and small invertebrates.

Distribution and Habitat

This species replaces Barbitistes serricauda in the Southern Alps. It is present in France, Italy and Switzerland, from the Basses-Alpes to the Julian Alps and central Apennines, with a small populations in the Apuan Alps. This typical mountain species prefers lightly shaded woods and scrubland up to 2000 meters a.s.l.. It is often found on blackberry leaves.

Barbitistes cf. obtusus, male. Dorsal view

References

• Orthoptera
• Zipcodezoo
• Biolib
• Fauna Europaea
• Linnea.it
• Hannes BAUR & Armin CORAY The status of Barbitistes serricauda (Fabricius, 1794) (Ensifera: Phaneropteridae) – a re-assessment

Bibliography

• Fontana & Buzzetti (2004) Biogeographical considerations on some Mediterranean Phaneropteridae and description of a new genus and a new species from South Africa (Orthoptera), Memorie della Società Entomologica Italiana (Mem. Soc. Entomol. Ital.) 82(2):441-468
• Defaut [Ed.] (2001) , La détermination des Orthoptères de France, Defaut, Bedeilhac 85
• Defaut (1999) Synopsis des orthoptères de France, Matériaux Orthoptériques et Entomocenotiques 2:87
• Voisin [Ed.] (2003) Atlas des Orthoptères et des Mantides de France, Patrimoines Naturels 60:1-104
• Fontana, Buzzetti, Cogo & Odé (2002) , Guida al riconoscimento e allo studio di cavallette, grilli, mantidi e insetti affini del Veneto: Blattaria, Mantodea, Isoptera, Orthoptera, Phasmatodea, Dermaptera, Embidiina, Museo Naturalistico Archaeologico di Vicenza, Vicenza 1-592
• Bellmann & Luquet (1995) , Guide des sauterelles, grillons et criquets d'Europe occidentale, Delachaux et Niestle, Lausanne 1-383
• Jacobson & V.L. Bianchi (1905) , Orthopteroid and Pseudoneuropteroid Insects of Russian Empire and adjacent countries, Devrien Publ. (In Russian), St. Petersburg
• Baur, H. & Coray (2004) A revision of the Blattodea, Ensifera and Caelifera described by H. Fruhstorfer, Revue Suisse de Zoologie (Revue Suisse de Zool.) 111(3):611-630
• Nadig (1987) Saltatoria (Insecta) of the southern and southeastern slopes of the Alps. Part I. Tettigoniidae, Revue Suisse de Zoologie (Revue Suisse de Zool.) 94(2):257-356
• Baur, H. & Coray (2004) The status of Barbitistes serricauda (Fabricius, 1794) (Ensifera: Phaneropteridae) - a re-assessment, Revue Suisse de Zoologie (Revue Suisse de Zool.) 111(4):921-924