''Ruspolia nitidula'', the large conehead, is a species of bush cricket belonging to the subfamily

Conocephalinae Conocephalinae, meaning "conical head", is an Orthopteran subfamily in the family Tettigoniidae. Genera The Orthoptera Species File lists the following subtribes and genera: Tribe Agraeciini Mostly South America, Africa, South-East Asia an ...

of 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 ...

. It is found throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, Africa, and the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

part of Asia. A vernacular name that has been used is "cone-headed grasshopper", although it is not a

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...

, but rather a bush cricket.

Description

The species is green, large, and slender with a cone-shaped head. The apex of the head has a cream-colored band that goes through it and the eyes. Its size ranges from . The wings of both sexes extend further than the abdomen. They are able to produce a high-pitched buzzing sound.

Habitat

It is native to central and southern Europe where it can be found on riverbanks and other wet areas that have long grass. The species has been expanding northwards in Europe in recent decades. Populations have been established in southern Britain. The species can be found from July to October. It is also native to Africa and the

part of Asia.

Edibility

The cricket is commonly eaten in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

and the sale of them brings in a large amount of income. The price per unit weight is periodically higher than that of beef in Uganda markets. During the 1990s, coffee prices dropped, resulting in the loss of many citizens' primary income. The price of these bush crickets helped regain income during that decade, but the crickets had a short shelf life and would bite when removed from storage. It is also commonly eaten by many East African tribes. A 2016 study by '' Food Science & Nutrition'' concluded that the cricket is considered nutritious and that

sautéing Sautéing or sauteing (, ; , , 'jumped', 'bounced', in reference to tossing while cooking) is a method of cooking that uses a relatively small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. Various sauté methods exist. Descr ...

them results in a better aroma and flavor. In Uganda, they are cooked by either sautéing, deep frying, or boiling and then they are dried. The cricket is either eaten at home or commercially in towns such as

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

and

Masaka Masaka is a city in the Central Region, Uganda, Buganda Region in Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The city is the headquarters of Masaka District. Location Masaka is approximately to the south-west of Kampala on the highway to Mbarara. The ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1548359

nitidula ''Nitidula'' is a genus of sap-feeding beetles in the family Nitidulidae The sap beetles, also known as Nitidulidae, are a family of beetles. They are small (2–6 mm) ovoid, usually dull-coloured beetles, with knobbed antennae. Some ...

Orthoptera of Africa Orthoptera of Asia Orthoptera of Europe Edible insects Insects described in 1786 Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli