Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket vs False widow

Antaxius chopardi compared with Steatoda bipunctata

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket	False widow
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order	Orthoptera (Orthoptera)	Araneae (Araneae)
Family	Tettigoniidae	Theridiidae
Genus	Antaxius	Steatoda
Species	Antaxius chopardi	Steatoda bipunctata

Evolutionary Relationship

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket and False widow share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Arthropoda. (Arthropods)

Conservation Status

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket

LC — Least Concern

False widow

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket	False widow
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

False widow

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

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.