Prior to 1990 the Long-winged cone-head (Conocephalus discolor) was a nationally scarce species restricted to a few localised sites along the south coast of England. After 1990 the species underwent a dramatic range expansion. It was first recorded in Devon in 1994 at Dittisham. The species appears to be continuting to expand and it found in a wide variety of places in the county. It prefers to inhabit rough ungrazed grassland such as road verges and waste ground.
Long-winged cone-head
They are secretive animals which can be found by searching long vegetation. However the easiest way to locate them is by using a bat detector. Their call resembles an old fashioned chugging tractor!
Song of the Long-winged cone-head heard through a Batbox Duet bat detector set at 40KHz.
The current range of the Long-winged Cone-head is set out in the following map. This map is undoubtedly an underestimate of their current distribution.
Long-winged cone-heads can be confused with Short-winged cone-head (Conocephalus dorsalis) – in 2014 I produced a blog which enabled the reader to tell the two species apart – see here.
If you see or hear any Cone-heads in Devon – please let me know – I’m the county Recorder for Orthoptera – email me: adrian dot colston at gmail dot com …. many thanks
The sun came out this afternoon so I headed into the field in search of Roesel’s Bush-cricket – a species first recorded in Devon in 2014 which until now I have failed to find! Went to a couple of areas where it had been recorded before. I found a single adult in an uncut road verge on the south side of Rewe and then found three individuals by the food alleviation scheme in Exwick directly adjacent to to the north side of Station Road.
Roesel’s Bush-cricket – long-winged specimen f.dilata in Exwick
Roesel’s Bush-crickets are tricky to find but with the use of a bat detector (which makes their distinctive but inaudible songs audible) they can be tracked down. I use a Batbox Duet set at 40kHz and their songs then become audible.
Roesel’s Bush-cricket played through a Batbox Duet at 40KHz
Here is the current known (to me) distribution of Roesel’s Bush-cricket in Devon
And this is the classic habitat – rough uncut grassland
If you see or hear any Roesel’s Bush-crickets in Devon – please let me know – I’m the county Recorder for Orthoptera – email me: adrian dot colston at gmail dot com …. many thanks
Prior to 1980 Roesel’s Bush-cricket had a restricted distribution in the UK being found in coastal grasslands from Kent to the Humber. After 1980 the species began a dramatic range expansion north and west.
The species was finally recorded in Devon in 2014 but is colonisation of the county has been slow.
Below is a list of all the records of Roesel’s Bush-cricket in Devon, I’m sure it is an under-estimate and I am keen to receive further records if you have seen it in Devon.
Species
Date
Location
Grid Reference
Recorder
Number
Comments
Metrioptera roeselii
08/08/2014
Flockmill, Rewe
SS960007
Karim Vahed
1
f. diluta
Metrioptera roeselii
29/07/2017
Trinity Hall Nature Reserve, Axminster
SY308957
Alex Worsley
Multiple
Metrioptera roeselii
06/07/2018
Dawlish Warren
SX9878
Philip Chambers
1
f. diluta
Metrioptera roeselii
21/08/2019
Flockmill, Rewe
SS960007
Gabriel Vahed
1
Male
Metrioptera roeselii
26/08/2019
A3052, Weston
SY173907
Kevin Rylands
1
Metrioptera roeselii
01/09/2019
Seaton Marshes
SY2591
Dave Smallshire
Multiple
Metrioptera roeselii
25/06/2020
Ross Meadow, Fingle Woods
SX795888
Tom Williams
1
Metrioptera roeselii
21/07/2020
Axmouth – Lyme Regis Cliffs
SY273896
John Walters
Multiple
Metrioptera roeselii
08/08/2020
Halsden Farm, Exmouth
SX9982
Will Scott
1
Metrioptera roeselii
09/08/2020
Exwick, Exe Valley
SX9093
Will Scott
1
Metrioptera roeselii
03/08/2021
Beer meadow
SY213894
Christopher Hodgson
Multiple
This is a photo of the first record – found by Professor Karim Vahed at the Flockmill in Rewe, near Exeter. This is a ‘macropterous’ (f. diluta) individual i.e. it has long wings which enables it to fly and therefore disperse and colonise new areas. (Photo Karim Vahed)
Here is a male (non macropterous, known as brachypterous) individual, photographed at the same site in 2017 and found by Karim’s son Gabriel. This discovery would imply that a founder colony was formed in 2014 and persisted to 2017. The green strip on the pronotum and spots on the side of the thorax are diagnostic. (Photo Karim Vahed.)
Here is another male, this time photographed at Ross Meadow in Fingle Woods on Dartmoor in 2020. (Photo Tom Williams)
To date this year I have received one record from a new site at Beer, found by Christopher Hodgson. The species favours long unkempt grass and can be quite difficult to spot as individuals skulk. However Roesel’s Bush-crickets have a very distinctive song which is audible to those with good hearing. I use a bat detector to pick up the call now I’m older!
Follow this link to the website of Orthoptera UK and you can play a sound clip to hear how distinctive the song is. The individuals which the long wings stridulate and produce a loud song which to me sounds like standing under a high voltage electric pylon in the rain!
Now is the time to go out and find Roesel’s Bush-crickets. Majority of the Devon records are to the east of Exeter. On a hot sunny day see if you can see or hear any…. and if you do, please let me know as I’m the County Recorder for Devon for Orthoptera.
I went for a short walk around the parkland at Parke yesterday after work in the evening sunshine. The grassland was alive with long-winged coneheads – it has a been a really good year for this bush cricket – they were ‘singing’ everywhere.
Here is a male long-winged conehead
And here is a recording of their song captured through a bat detector – which enables their very high pitched noises to become audible (recorded earlier in the week in a glade at Hembury Woods).
One of the main predators of coneheads and other grasshoppers – the wasp spider are also common too. You can see a female long-winged cone head in this picture which has been caught in the spider’s web and then wrapped up for consumption later….
Reminds me a bit of the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings or was it Harry Potter?
When it comes to sunny days in August I like to go out and look for bush crickets and grasshoppers (I’m the county recorder for Orthoptera i.e. bush crickets, grasshoppers etc.). I always take a bat detector with me so I can hear their high pitched songs which help identify animals to species. Without the bat detector I can’t hear their songs!
My Batbox Duet detector
Roesel’s bush cricket – first recorded in Devon last summer by Karim Vahed – photo by K Bellis – a very distinctive song: like standing under high power electricity cables in the rain! Lets hope I can find some more today!
The long winged cone head – sounds like a little tractor chugging along. Now very common in long grass in Devon – only arrived here a few decades ago. Should find lots of these today.
A Dartmoor blog 