Apple Pith Moth vs Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket

Blastodacna atra compared with Antaxius chopardi

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Apple Pith Moth	Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Orthoptera (Orthoptera)
Family	Elachistidae	Tettigoniidae
Genus	Blastodacna	Antaxius
Species	Blastodacna atra	Antaxius chopardi

Evolutionary Relationship

Apple Pith Moth and Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Apple Pith Moth

LC — Least Concern

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Apple Pith Moth	Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Apple Pith Moth

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Apple Pith Moth

The Apple Pith Moth (Blastodacna atra) is a species in the genus Blastodacna. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket

Chopard's Mountain Bush-Cricket (Antaxius chopardi) is a bush-cricket (katydid) in the family Tettigoniidae, endemic to mountain ranges in the western Mediterranean region, likely including the Pyrenees and associated mountain systems of southern France and northern Spain. Bush-crickets of the genus Antaxius are large, robust tettigoniids characterised by females bearing a pronounced ovipositor for egg insertion into soil or plant tissue, and males producing species-specific stridulatory songs by rubbing modified wing structures. Despite the name mountain bush-cricket, members of this genus inhabit a range of grass-shrub-dominated montane habitats including rocky slopes, mountain meadows, and scrubland edges. They are primarily herbivorous, feeding on grasses, herbs, and low shrubs, though they may supplement their diet with small invertebrates. Stridulation songs are important for species identification in this cryptically coloured group, as multiple Antaxius species may co-occur in the same mountain range. The IUCN classifies this species as Least Concern, with populations found across suitable montane habitats within its range. The species is named after Lucien Chopard, recognising his extensive contributions to the study of European orthopteran (crickets and grasshoppers) biodiversity. Climate change-driven shifts in vegetation zones may pose future threats to montane endemic invertebrates.