Tettigonia viridissima

The great green bush-cricket is nocturnal, but the males often sing from mid-afternoon onwards. The song is one of the loudest emitted by any British orthopteran, and cen be heard at distances of several meters (Ragge, 1965, says 200 metres, but this is presumably for those with better hearing than mine!). The tone is slightly metallic and rasping, and is produced in continuous, prolonged bursts. When singing the male appears to 'pump' his abdomen rhythmically - presumably to anhance respiration. Even when singing the crypti ccoloration of a male perched among vegetation makes it very difficult to locate. There is some competition between males for song perches, and where the population is dense one may nip an intruder with his mandibles. The latter will usually dive down into lower vegetation. [1]

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