Massaal voorkomen van de sikkelsprinkhaan Pheneroptera falcata op de Oirschotse heide (Orthoptera: Tettigonidae)

A large population of the sicklebearing bush-cricket Phaneroptera falcata on the Oirschotse Heide (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) In 2003 a large population of Phaneroptera falcata was found at the Oirschotse heide, in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. The total number of individuals was estimated at 15,000 with a density of approximately 1 specimen per square meter. A large population like this has never been reported for the Netherlands. In the rest of Europe densities of P. falcata between 0,01 and 0,13 specimens per square meter are reported. The location is a former agricultural field (7 ha) with a rough vegetation dominated by Senecio jacobea and Cirsium arvense.