Meconema meridionale

{{Short description|Species of cricket-like animal}}

{{Speciesbox

|image=Mombach fg22.jpg

|status=LC

|status_system=IUCN3.1

|status_ref={{cite iucn |author=Hochkirch, A. |author2=Massa, B. |author3=Zuna-Kratky, T. |author4=Kristin, A. |author5=Puskas, G. |author6=Ivkovic, S. |author7=Presa, J.J. |author8=Skejo, J. Skejo, Monnerat, C. |author9=Szovenyi, G. |author10=Kleukers, R. |author11=Chobanov, D.P. |author12=Rutschmann, F. |date=2016 |title=Meconema meridionale |volume=2016 |page=e.T68427413A74540416 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T68427413A74540416.en |access-date=18 November 2021}}

|genus=Meconema

|species=meridionale

|authority=(Costa, 1860)

|display_parents=3

}}

{{Listen |filename=Meconema meridionale - sound.oga|title=Sound of Meconema meridionale |description=Field recording in the Netherlands 34s}}

Meconema meridionale is an insect in the family Tettigoniidae, known as the southern oak bush cricket.{{cite web |url=http://species.orthoptera.org.uk/account.aspx?ID=9 |title=Meconema meridionale (Costa, 1860) Southern Oak Bush Cricket |publisher=Biological Records Centre |work=Orthoptera and Allied Insects |access-date=July 21, 2010}}

It commonly measures 14 to 17 mm in length (not including antennae) and is carnivorous, arboreal and nocturnal.{{cite web |url=http://www.orthoptera.org.uk/account.aspx?ID=8 |title=Species Account |access-date=2013-11-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230345/http://www.orthoptera.org.uk/account.aspx?ID=8 |archive-date=2013-12-02 }} It has a more southerly distribution than its relative, Meconema thalassinum, being found in southern France, southwestern Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the former Yugoslavia{{cite journal |author=Karim Vahed |year=1996 |title=Prolonged copulation in oak bushcrickets (Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae: Meconema thalassinum and M. meridionale) |journal=Journal of Orthoptera Research |volume=5 |issue=5 |pages=199–204 |doi=10.2307/3503594 |jstor=3503594}} and, since 2001, the United Kingdom.{{cite web |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/nathistory/nathistory_20121009-1505a.mp3 |title=Saving Species (Srs 3) - 09 Oct 12 - Ep 6 |publisher=BBC}} It is a predator of the horse-chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella.{{cite journal|author1=G. Grabenweger |author2=P. Kehrli |author3=B. Schlick-Steiner |author4=F. Steiner |author5=M. Stolz |author6=S. Bacher |title=Predator complex of the horse chestnut leafminer Cameraria ohridella: identification and impact assessment |journal=Journal of Applied Entomology |volume=129 |issue=7 |pages=353–362 |doi=10.1111/j.1439-0418.2005.00973.x |url=https://www.unifr.ch/biol/ecology/bersier/members/Publications%20Patrik%20Kehrli/Grabenweger%20et%20al.%202005.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902133805/http://www.unifr.ch/biol/ecology/bersier/members/Publications%20Patrik%20Kehrli/Grabenweger%20et%20al.%202005.pdf |archive-date=2009-09-02 |year=2005 |s2cid=84469242 }}

It is considered a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List as it is "widespread and common, and the population size is very large".

File:Meconema meridionale -- Südliche Eichenschrecke.webm