Metaplastes pulchripennis, common name Italian ornate bush-cricket, is a species of 'katydids crickets' belonging to the family Tettigoniidae subfamily Phaneropterinae. Eades D.C., Otte D., Naskrecki P.: Orthoptera Species File Online Catalogue of life
Distribution and habitat This species is present in mainland of Italy, in northern Sardinia, in Corsica, in northern Sicily and in northeastern Spain.Fauna europaea It mainly inhabits woodlands along rivers, forest edges and flower-rich grasslands. IUCN Report B. Massa Gli Ortotteri di Sicilia:check-list commentata
Description The adults can reach of length. The basic coloration of the body is pale green, with a reddish-brown streak on the back. The legs are mainly green, with pale brown knees. The antennae are brown and very long. Ovipositor is quite short (). Elytra of females are green, while in males they show a white outer edge, with a dark brown band on the edge. Metaplastes pulchripennis is quite similar to Barbistes species, but it can be distinguished by the cerci of the males and the more elongated pronotum. L. Chopard Faune de France (1951), page 95 Tela Orthoptera
Biology It can commonly be encountered from June through July, especially on Cistus and Rubus species.
References
Paolo Fontana, Baudewijn Odé & Bruno Massa. 2004 – Sull’identità di Metaplastes ippolitoi e le altre specie del genere Metaplastes - (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae). Memorie Soc. entomol. Ital., (2003)