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Field Guide to the Grasshoppers and Allies of Great Britain and Ireland

Grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, cockroaches, stick-insects and mantids

Field Guide to the Grasshoppers and Allies of Great Britain and Ireland cover

Field Guide to the Grasshoppers and Allies of Great Britain and Ireland

Grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, cockroaches, stick-insects and mantids

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Pre-order. Available 08 Jan 2026
£31.50 RRP £35.00 Website price saving £3.50 (10%)

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Description

A beautifully illustrated reference guide that will enable confident identification of British orthoptera.

Grasshoppers are conspicuous for their giant leaping movements, bright colours and song. There has never been a better time to study these insects in Britain: over recent decades some species have declined, others have expanded their ranges and there have even been new discoveries of species that have come across from mainland Europe.

This pioneering guide lays bare the complexities of identification of the 80 or so species that may be encountered in the British Isles. An engaging introduction explains why orthopteroid insects are so intriguing and rewarding to study, and how the pursuit can take you to visit extraordinary places. The illustrated 'At-a-glance' guide and key to the orders provide a helpful starting point to begin the process of identification, leading to the main species accounts that include details of distinguishing features, life-cycle and habitat, tips for distinguishing between similar species, distribution maps, sonograms and QR codes linking to sound recordings. The text is brought to life with Richard Lewington's meticulous artwork, alongside photographs of the insects in their characteristic habitats.

Designed to be accessible to beginners while also offering plenty of interest to more experienced entomologists, this book is the definitive guide to the Orthoptera of the British Isles.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Why study the orthopteroid insects?
General anatomy
Classification
Key to the orders and suborders of adult orthopteroid insects of Britain and
Ireland
Life history
Variation
Feeding
Song: communication through sound
Courtship and mating
Egg-laying
Movement, migration and dispersal
Enemies
Distribution of orthopteroid insects in Great Britain and Ireland
Threats
Conservation
Studying and recording orthopteroid insects
Regional guides
How to use this field guide
Earwigs (order Dermaptera)
Bush-crickets, crickets, grasshoppers and groundhoppers (order Orthoptera)
Cockroaches and termites (order Blattodea)
Mantids (order Mantodea)
Stick-insects (order Phasmida)
Potential new orthopteroid species
Checklist of the orthopteroid insects of Great Britain and Ireland
Useful resources
Glossary
Distribution maps
Photographic credits
Index

Product details

Published 08 Jan 2026
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 304
ISBN 9781472976796
Imprint Bloomsbury Wildlife
Illustrations 180 colour artworks and 100 colour photos
Dimensions 216 x 140 mm
Series Bloomsbury Wildlife Guides
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Peter Sutton

Peter Sutton has coordinated the Grasshoppers and…

Author

Björn Beckmann

Björn Beckmann is a research ecologist at the Brit…

Illustrator

Richard Lewington

Richard Lewington is an acknowledged leader in the…

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