Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 16, 2026

Ephippiger ephippiger

Ephippiger ephippiger, the saddle-backed bush cricket, is a species belonging to the family Tettigoniidae subfamily Bradyporinae. It is found primarily in central Europe, with the closely related species Ephippiger diurnus in the west. The habitat consists of relatively dry and sparse areas with scarce vegetation, such as heather with a few trees, where it can be found both close to the soil and higher up in the vegetation. The saddle-backed bush cricket mainly eats insects and other small animals, but also plant parts. For arable farmers, it is a useful animal because it lives in plants but mainly hunts for plant-dwelling (pest) insects. It is active during the months of August to October; the males are mainly heard between eleven o'clock in the morning and nine o'clock in the evening. The sound is clearly audible and consists of a sharp, grating squeak that sounds like tieh, but is repeated in long runs with a frequency of about one or two times per second.

Last revised
Jun 16, 2026
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Ephippiger ephippiger
Ephippiger ephippiger, Germany
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Tettigoniidae
Genus: Ephippiger
Species:
E. ephippiger
Binomial name
Ephippiger ephippiger
(Fiebig, 1784)1
Synonyms
  • Gryllus ephippiger Fiebig, 1784
  • Ephippigera [sic] vitium Serville, 1831
  • Ephippigera [sic] fabricii Fieber, 1853
  • Ephippiger fibigii Fieber, 1853
  • Ephippiger ephippiger mischtschenkoi Harz, 1966
  • Ephippiger ephippiger harzi Adamovic, 1973
  • Ephippiger ephippiger usi Adamovic, 1973
  • Ephippiger ephippiger balkanicus Andreeva, 1985
  • Ephippiger ephippiger varnensis Andreeva, 19852

Ephippiger ephippiger, the saddle-backed bush cricket, is a species belonging to the family Tettigoniidae subfamily Bradyporinae. It is found primarily in central Europe, with the closely related species Ephippiger diurnus in the west.2 The habitat consists of relatively dry and sparse areas with scarce vegetation, such as heather with a few trees, where it can be found both close to the soil and higher up in the vegetation. The saddle-backed bush cricket mainly eats insects and other small animals, but also plant parts. For arable farmers, it is a useful animal because it lives in plants but mainly hunts for plant-dwelling (pest) insects. It is active during the months of August to October; the males are mainly heard between eleven o'clock in the morning and nine o'clock in the evening. The sound is clearly audible and consists of a sharp, grating squeak that sounds like tieh, but is repeated in long runs with a frequency of about one or two times per second.

  • Male
    Male
  • Female
    Female
  • Head
    Head
  • Feeding
    Feeding
Close-Up of a Ephippiger ephippiger
References

References

  1. Fiebig, J. 1784: Beschreibung des Sattelträgers. [Gryllus ephippiger]. Schriften der Berlinischen Gesellschaft naturforschender Freunde, Berlin 5 260-263, col. Fig.
  2. Orthoptera Species File