Children often have fun chasing small jumping insects in parks and lawns. And the parents at this time, having received a few minutes of rest, enjoy the peace and listen to the discordant chirping. So what is this mysterious creature jumping and chirping in the grass? This is a green grasshopper.
Expanding horizons
This is an insect from the True Grasshopper family. This is one of the representatives of the order Orthoptera, widespread throughout the globe.
Orthoptera also includes locusts, bears, crickets and many other known insects, the total number of which reaches almost 20 thousand. The green grasshopper lives in Europe and Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Recently, it can be found not only on the plains, but also in the mountains. For example, in the Alps, this insect feels great at an altitude of more than 1500 m.
What an insect looks like
You can watch grasshoppers from the beginning of July until the onset of autumn cold. Due to the peculiarities of the body structure and appearance, they are perfectly camouflaged in the grass and bushes. A large green grasshopper can have a body length of up to 5-6 cm. At the same time, the length of its elytra can exceed 8 cm, andantennae-antennae one and a half times longer than the calf.
The head of the insect is large, oval, somewhat flattened laterally. The color is bright green, sometimes with brownish patches. The green grasshopper has three pairs of legs. He uses the two shorter front pairs when moving on surfaces. The third, back pair of legs is longer and stronger. The insect needs it for jumping. The grasshopper also has two pairs of wings. True, only one is involved in the flight, and the second pair - the outer elytra - serves as reliable protection.
What does a grasshopper have for lunch?
Remember how in the song: he ate only grass, did not touch the booger? It turns out that the author of these words was very mistaken. Do you know what the green grasshopper eats? He will happily dine on large and small insects, larvae and aphids. So in fact we are dealing with a predator. But this does not mean that there is no plant food in his diet. Succulent plants, buds and flowers, leaves of shrubs and trees - this is not a complete list of the plant menu of the little jumper.
Watching a big green grasshopper hunt is very interesting, but almost impossible for the layman. Let's start with the fact that the insect is very well camouflaged in the grass. Grasshopper captures prey on the fly. He firmly holds her with his front paws and quickly kills with strong mandibles. A harmless-looking insect is able to gnaw through the chitinous protection of any victim.
What is the grasshopper singing about?
Green grasshopper, photowhich can be seen in the article, does not look like a great singer or musician. However, as soon as the heat subsides and evening approaches, real concerts begin on the street. Male grasshoppers emit a voiced chirp thanks to a special organ located on the right elytron. This is a special web-bow that rubs against the teeth on the right wing.
Grasshopper music has different themes. Strong short trills serve to intimidate competitors. Males emit them before a fight, in which they often cause serious damage to the opponent. The outcome of a fight is sometimes fatal, but the most terrible damage can be considered the loss of a mustache. A beardless male descends to the lowest rung of the social ladder. He is weak and everyone can see it.
And, of course, males chirp to attract the attention of females. The louder the love song, the greater the chance of mating and offspring. As soon as the female has shown interest in the male, the singing becomes quieter. The second part of the concert begins - charming. In a romantic serenade, the green grasshopper rears up slightly on its hind legs, as if dancing.
Reproduction
External differences between male and female are quite definable. The abdomen of the female ends with a long, sword-like process. This is the ovipositor necessary for procreation.
After mating, the female is busy laying eggs. Most often, laying occurs in the soil, but it also happens in the bark of trees and on the branches of a shrub. In spring, the eggs hatch into larvae that feed on plants. Development to an adult takes about two months, during which time the young insect molts 5 times.
