''Ephippiger provincialis'', the Provence saddle-backed bush cricket, is a species in the family

Tettigoniidae Insects in the family (biology), family Tettigoniidae are commonly called katydids (especially in North America) or bush crickets. They have previously been known as "long-horned grasshoppers". More than 8,000 species are known. Part of the subo ...

Description

Specimens of this species reach a body length of . The body is light brown or reddish colored, very rarely green. The very short and wide cerci of the males have a tooth inside that is equally long and wide like the tooth at the end. All other species of the tribe

Ephippigerini The Ephippigerini are a tribe of bush crickets in the subfamily Bradyporinae, erected by Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1878. Brunner von Wattenwyl C (1878) ''Monographie der Phaneropteriden'' 11. Species have been recorded from mainland Europe (not ...

have a much smaller such tooth. The nearly straight

Ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typica ...

is rarely shorter than 25 millimeters.

Distribution

''Ephippiger provincialis'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It occurs between

Saint-Tropez Saint-Tropez ( , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (department), Var departments of France, department and the regions of France, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It is west of Nice and east of Marseille, o ...

and

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Mode of life

The specimens sit usually on the ground or on low plants. Adult specimens can be found from June to August. Sometimes mass reproductions happen by this species.

References

* provincialis Endemic insects of Metropolitan France Insects described in 1854 Orthoptera of Europe {{tettigoniidae-stub