Oecanthus longicauda — identification & habitat

Oecanthus longicauda is a pale East Asian tree cricket whose male gives a long, soft from leafy vegetation. Its range includes Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and the Russian Far East rather than North America.

Appearance

Appearance: The body is about 0.4–0.6 in (1–1.5 cm) long and may be yellow, yellow-green, or green. The underside is usually black.
Voice: Males produce a soft, continuous trill rather than a series of widely separated chirps.

Look-alikes

Snowy tree cricketOecanthus fultoni

In the United States, a pale green tree cricket is much more likely to be the native snowy tree cricket. Its paired dark marks near the bases of the antennae and orange-red patch on the head help identify it in a close photo; those marks alone do not establish that an Asian specimen is O. longicauda.

Why they get mixed upBoth are slim, pale green members of the same genus.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Tall grasslands in Japan
Woodland edges in Japan
Range: Its range is in East Asia, including Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and the Russian Far East.
Preferred conditions: In Japan, it is often found among tall kudzu and mugwort growth in grasslands and along woodland edges.

Behavior

Diet: In Japan, young crickets have been observed eating aphids on tall herbs.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

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