About Phaneroptera falcata (Poda, 1761)
Phaneroptera falcata, commonly called the sickle-bearing bush-cricket, is an orthopteran species that belongs to the subfamily Phaneropterinae. This species is mostly herbivorous, and adults commonly reach a body length of 24 to 36 mm. It primarily inhabits warm scrub and grassland areas, and can also be found on dry shrubbery, in sand pits, and in gardens. This species is found across Europe, and was historically restricted to the southern and central regions of the continent. It is absent from the Alpine foothills and many areas of the Swabian Alps. In recent decades, Phaneroptera falcata has expanded the northern boundary of its range in mainland Europe. It now occurs regularly in parts of southernmost Scandinavia, only having spread to this region very recently: the first recorded sighting was in Denmark in 2010, and in Sweden in 2014. Vagrant adult individuals are occasionally found in Britain, and a small but apparently established colony was found near Dungeness in Kent in 2015.
