Bug FAQLarge Conehead
Ruspolia nitidula · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Tettigoniidae
The large conehead is a green, slender cricket with a cone-shaped head and a cream band across the apex and eyes. It lives on wet riverbanks and long grass in central and southern Europe and has spread north into southern Britain. In Uganda the insects are harvested for food and are sautéed, deep-fried or boiled and dried for sale.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The insect is green, large, slender and has a cone-shaped head. A cream-coloured band runs across the apex of the head and through the eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 32 and 60 mm in length (about 1.3 to 2.4 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Stored crickets may bite when taken out of storage.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers riverbanks and other wet areas with long grass in central and southern Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
In Uganda the cricket is harvested for food and provides significant income. It is prepared by sautéing, deep-frying, boiling and then drying.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are present from July through October.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
You can find them during the months of July to October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Within Europe it is most common in central and southern regions.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is sometimes called a “cone-headed grasshopper,” but it is actually a bush cricket, not a grasshopper.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the large conehead look like?
It is a green, large, slender cricket with a cone-shaped head and a cream band across the head apex and eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
Are they eaten by people?
In Uganda they are harvested for food and sold after being sautéed, deep-fried, boiled or dried.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tettigoniidae)
Great Green Bush-cricketTettigonia viridissimaCan bite
Dark Bush-cricketPholidoptera griseoaptera
Mediterranean KatydidPhaneroptera nanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fork-tailed Bush KatydidScudderia furcataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Speckled Bush-cricketLeptophyes punctatissima
Roesel's Bush-cricketRoeseliana roeseliiSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruspolia_nitidula
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.