List of Orthoptera and allied insects of Great Britain facts for kids

The United Kingdom is home to many fascinating insects, including different types of grasshoppers, crickets, and their relatives. This article will introduce you to some of the native species you might find hopping, crawling, or flying around Britain.

The insects we'll explore belong to three main orders:

• The Orthoptera: This group includes all the grasshoppers and crickets. They are known for their strong jumping legs and often for the sounds they make.
• The Dermaptera: These are the earwigs, easily recognized by the pincers at the end of their bodies.
• The Blattodea: This order covers the cockroaches, which are usually flat-bodied and fast-moving.

This list focuses only on the insects that naturally live in Britain. Sometimes, other species might show up by accident, but they aren't considered native. Many of the common names for these insects were created by Dr. DR Ragge, a scientist who studied them.

Amazing Hoppers: Grasshoppers and Crickets

The Orthoptera order is full of insects famous for their powerful legs, which help them jump far and fast. Many of them also "sing" by rubbing parts of their bodies together, like their legs and wings. This sound is often used to attract mates.

Crickets: The Night Singers

Crickets belong to a group called Ensifera. They often have long antennae, sometimes longer than their bodies. Many crickets are active at night and are known for their chirping sounds.

Bush-Crickets: Masters of Camouflage

The Tettigoniidae family includes the bush-crickets. They are usually green or brown, helping them blend in with plants.

1. Oak bush-cricket Meconema thalassinum
2. Southern oak bush-cricket Meconema meridionale (first seen in 2001)
3. Great green bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima
4. Wart-biter Decticus verrucivorus
5. Dark bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera
6. Grey bush-cricket Platycleis albopunctata
7. Bog bush-cricket Metrioptera brachyptera
8. Roesel's bush-cricket Roeseliana roeselii
9. Long-winged conehead Conocephalus fuscus
10. Short-winged Conehead Conocephalus dorsalis
11. Speckled bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima

True Crickets and Their Relatives

This group includes some well-known crickets. Family Gryllidae

1. House cricket Acheta domesticus: Often found indoors, especially in warm places.
2. Field cricket Gryllus campestris: Lives in grasslands and fields.

Family Mogoplistidae

1. Scaly cricket Pseudomogoplistes squamiger

Family Trigonidiidae

1. Wood cricket Nemobius sylvestris

Mole-Crickets: Underground Diggers

The Gryllotalpidae family contains the mole-crickets. These unique insects have strong front legs shaped like shovels, perfect for digging tunnels underground.

1. Mole cricket Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa

Grasshoppers: Daytime Jumpers

Grasshoppers belong to the Caelifera group. They usually have shorter antennae than crickets and are most active during the day.

Groundhoppers: Tiny Hoppers

The Tetrigidae family are small insects called groundhoppers. They often have a long, pointed part of their body that extends over their wings.

1. Cepero's groundhopper Tetrix ceperoi
2. Slender groundhopper Tetrix subulata
3. Common groundhopper Tetrix undulata

True Grasshoppers: Meadow Dwellers

The Acrididae family includes many of the common grasshoppers you see in meadows and fields.

1. Large marsh grasshopper Stethophyma grossum: This species is quite rare and mostly found in specific areas like the New Forest and Dorset.
2. Stripe-winged grasshopper Stenobothrus lineatus
3. Lesser mottled grasshopper Stenobothrus stigmaticus (found only on the Isle of Man)
4. Woodland grasshopper Omocestus rufipes
5. Common green grasshopper Omocestus viridulus
6. Field grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus
7. Heath grasshopper Chorthippus vagans
8. Lesser marsh grasshopper Chorthippus albomarginatus
9. Meadow grasshopper Pseudochorthippus parallelus
10. Rufous grasshopper Gomphocerippus rufus
11. Mottled grasshopper Myrmeleotettix maculatus

Cockroaches: Ancient Insects

The Blattodea order includes cockroaches. These insects have been around for millions of years! In Britain, the native species are usually found outdoors and are quite shy.

Native British Cockroaches

Family Blattellidae

1. Dusky cockroach Ectobius lapponicus
2. Tawny cockroach Ectobius pallidus
3. Lesser cockroach Capraiellus panzeri

Earwigs: The Pincer Bugs

The Dermaptera order contains earwigs, easily recognized by the pincer-like structures at the end of their bodies. These pincers are used for defense, catching prey, and folding their wings.

British Earwigs

Family Spongiphoridae

• Lesser earwig Labia minor

Family Forficulidae

1. Short-winged earwig Apterygida media
2. Chelidurella acanthopygia
3. Common earwig Forficula auricularia: This is the most common earwig you'll likely see.
4. Lesne's earwig Forficula lesnei

See also

• List of Orthopteroid genera containing species recorded in Europe