Orthoptera and Dermaptera
The Grasshoppers, Groundhoppers, Crickets and Earwigs of Central and Northern Britain and Ireland
Orthoptera and Dermaptera AIDGAP is a photo-based identification guide to these large and often conspicuous insects.
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- Covers 28 species
- Illustrated with colour photographs throughout
This identification guide covers 28 native breeding species within the insect orders Orthoptera and Dermaptera. Geographic coverage extends to all of Wales, Scotland and Ireland, as well as England north of a line from north Gloucestershire to Suffolk.
The species list is made up of ten bush-crickets, Scaly Cricket, all three British species of groundhopper, ten grasshoppers and all four British species of earwig.
The Orthoptera in particular is a rather heat-loving group of insects. For that reason a large minority of species cling to the south coasts of England and Wales. But many naturalists live elsewhere. Unfortunately the standard identification guides contain many species that lots of people will never encounter on their ‘local patch’. So the restricted geographic coverage of this guide should help!
Additionally for the earwigs, the biggest problem lies in trying to find a guide which covers them in any depth at all. This guide covers all four British species, with carefully annotated photographs showing the key differences you need to check.
This guide is part of Field Studies Council’s AIDGAP series (Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants). Our AIDGAP guides are accessible identification keys, suitable for non-specialists from age 16+. As with all guides in the series, it underwent extensive testing before publication, by beginners and specialists alike.
