Starry bush-cricket
| Starry bush-cricket | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Anthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Tettigoniidae |
| Subfamily: | Phaneropterinae |
| Genus: | Leptophyes |
| Species: | L. bellacantrix |
| Evolution | |
| Ancestor: | Speckled bush-cricket |
| Descendants: |
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The starry bush-cricket (Leptophyes bellacantrix) is a descendant of the speckled bush-cricket. It is one of the first animal species to split off in this world, emerging only a few thousand years post-seeding. It can be found all over the Origin island except for the high, snowy altitudes. Its species name means "beautiful singer."
Description
It is triple the size of its ancestor, reaching about 4-5 centimeters in length with its antennae being about as long as its body. It has a short pair of wings that are too small for it to fly. It is typically a shade of green, yellow, or orange with brown legs. It also has a black stripe along its side, sandwiched between a brown dorsal stripe and green side stripe. Its entire body is always covered in tiny black spots. Nymphs appear as smaller, wingless versions of the adult.
Diet
It feeds exclusively on plant matter, especially leaves.
Behaviour
It is active during dusk and nighttime. Massive colonies can be found inside giant, tangled cinquefoil bushes. When a predator is near, nymphs will become motionless while adults will quickly run or leap away.
Life Cycle
A nymph will molt six times before becoming sexually mature. When its mature, it looks for a mate. By rubbing its wings together, the bush-cricket plays an ultrasonic song. Prospective mates will sing back as they attempt to locate each other.
During copulation, the male delivers a sack of sperm called a spermatophore to the female. The female will then eat this spermatophore. To increase the likelihood of his sperm fertilizing her before she eats it all, the sack is surrounded in a nutritious, sperm-free substance often referred to as a nuptial gift. Unlike nuptial gifts from the speckled bush-crickets which have no nutritional value, the starry bush-cricket's nuptial gift contains protein which helps ensure the offspring are healthy and strong.
After mating, the female will lay a batch of eggs inside of a soft or dying plant stem or beneath fallen leaves. She may lay up to 150 eggs before she dies. The eggs stay dormant through the winter before hatching in spring.
Evolution
TBA