David Element
Wildlife
Photography and Digital Video Images
________________________________________________________________Grasshoppers
and Crickets 14 – Wart-biters
WART-BITER Decticus verrucivorus (f. nymph)
WART-BITER Decticus verrucivorus (f. nymph)
WART-BITER Decticus verrucivorus (f. nymph)
WART-BITER Decticus verrucivorus (f. nymph)
WART-BITER Decticus verrucivorus (f. nymph)
WART-BITER Decticus verrucivorus (f. nymph)
WART-BITER Decticus verrucivorus (f.
nymph) WART-BITER Decticus verrucivorus (f.
nymph)
·
The
Wart-biter Decticus verrucivorus
has acquired its vernacular name in consequence of the alleged use in Sweden
several hundred years ago of the jaws of these substantial insects to bite
through human warts and excise them. It is not known if this (human) behaviour
was documented, authenticated, or transmitted by word of mouth. Whether this is
apocryphal or not, the alleged usage was certainly an imaginative one, and (if
it worked) pragmatic! These are lumbering giants of the European Orthopteran
fauna and the female nymph illustrated here was clearly a very bulky insect.
She was also beautifully camouflaged and therefore difficult to spot at the
high alpine meadow location in the Swiss Alps (Vercorin)
where she was photographed. Geographical isolation of insect populations may
cause sub-species to evolve but it is not known which (if any) sub-species this
example belonged to. As the photographer was (thankfully) devoid of any warts,
the reputation of this insect was not put to the test!
·
David’
short film illustrating this female Wart-biter may be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C_Ner6jRMc.
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