Saga hellenica
Encyclopedia
Saga hellenica is a large species of cricket
, from the family Tettigoniidae
. It lives in southern Europe
on Mediterranean flora such as scrub and shrub spiny bushes.
It feeds on other large insects such as other species of crickets and grasshopper
s. It is also known to hybridize with another species of the Saga genus, the Saga pedo
. Although it is locally common in most of its geographical range, it is threatened by agricultural activities and seasonal fires created by farmers and arson
.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, from the family Tettigoniidae
Tettigoniidae
The family Tettigoniidae, known in American English as katydids and in British English as bush-crickets, contains more than 6,400 species. It is part of the suborder Ensifera and the only family in the superfamily Tettigonioidea. They are also known as long-horned grasshoppers, although they are...
. It lives in southern Europe
Southern Europe
The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...
on Mediterranean flora such as scrub and shrub spiny bushes.
It feeds on other large insects such as other species of crickets and grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
s. It is also known to hybridize with another species of the Saga genus, the Saga pedo
Saga pedo
Saga pedo is a species of bush cricket, spread throughout the European part of the Mediterranean, and Asia as far east as China. It is a wingless bush cricket, with the body size of up to , which makes it one of the largest European insects...
. Although it is locally common in most of its geographical range, it is threatened by agricultural activities and seasonal fires created by farmers and arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
.