Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket vs Veiled Chameleon

Antaxius chopardi compared with Chamaeleo calyptratus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket	Veiled Chameleon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Orthoptera (Orthoptera)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Tettigoniidae	Chamaeleonidae (Chameleons)
Genus	Antaxius	Chamaeleo (Chameleons)
Species	Antaxius chopardi	Chamaeleo calyptratus

Evolutionary Relationship

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket and Veiled Chameleon share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket

LC — Least Concern

Veiled Chameleon

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket	Veiled Chameleon
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	5 years
Average Length	—	50 cm
Average Weight	—	200 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chopard's Mountain Bush-cricket

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Veiled Chameleon

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Distributed across Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

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.

Veiled Chameleon

The veiled chameleon is a large chameleon species native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They are popular as exotic pets.