Скачать или смотреть Lesser Marsh Grasshopper (Chorthippus albomarginatus) - Kingston, Sussex: September 2024

The genus Chorthippus is one of thirteen genera in the subfamily Gomphocerinae, in the family Acridae, in the order Orthoptera, to which both grasshoppers and crickets belong.

The very common C. brunneus (Field grasshopper) and much rarer C. vagans (the Heath grasshopper) which is largely restricted to Dorset heathland, complete the UK genus as it stands, but it's a former member of the genus, Pseudochorthippus parallelus (the Meadow grasshopper) with which C. albomarginatus is most easily be confused.

Both species have almost parallel-sided keels (when viewed from above) on the pronotum (the section which covers the top of the thorax) the only two UK species with this characteristic.

Despite its two colour forms, the straw brown or light-green coloured C. albomarginatus lacks both the intense colours and colour variations of P. parallelus.

The Lesser Marsh grasshopper is always fully winged, with the wings reaching almost to the end of the abdomen on females and extending slightly beyond on males. They produce sound (stridulate) by rubbing a peg on their hind femur against a thickened vein on the fore-wing, and they ‘hear’ with organs located on the side of the abdomen. Males average approx. 15mm in length. Females measure approx. 20mm and usually have a white border along the edge of their wings.

This is a common species of middle and southern England (becoming more rare in the south west) found both in dry and wet grassy habitats, on roadside verges, in waste ground, urban parks and damp wood clearings, where it feeds on a variety of grasses.

Nymphs appear from May, adults persisting until October or late autumn.

In this video, a male appears to be stalking a larger female who appears too distracted feeding to notice? Although admirably persistent he eventually takes the hint and gives up.

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PK