Fun Meadow Grasshopper Facts For Kids
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The meadow grasshopper (Pseudochorthippus parallelus), also known as the short-winged brown grasshopper and marsh meadow grasshopper, is a green, slant-faced, medium-sized, diurnal, agile insect of the Orthoptera order of the Acrididae family, Pseudochorthippus genus, and the kingdom of Animalia. It can also be brownish, purple-red, and pink in color.
It is differentiated from other grasshoppers due to the parallel bars on the back of its neck. It is a common grasshopper species in the Gomphocerini tribe.
The females are larger than the males, but the wings of the males are larger than those of the females.
However, they are both flightless and have no hind wings. In high temperatures, these grasshoppers remain active during the day and they are mostly seen between April and October.
There are five types of these meadow grasshoppers and they range across the provinces of Canada, the Ural, the Atlantic coast of Europe, Anatolia, the British Isles, Scandinavia, and southern Spain. In Western Europe, some researchers have suggested we consume these grasshoppers as human food!
Their habitat includes moist vegetation, swales, long grass, along the edges of marshes, pastures, roadsides, mountain meadows, lakes, ponds, and river valleys.
They are herbivores and their favorite food includes leaves, grasses, and sedges. However, they are eaten by birds, beetles, spiders, coyotes, skunks, and rodents.
Their conservation status is of Least Concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. They are very common and widespread in the UK.
Although, human beings are considered to be one of their main threats. These grasshoppers use their antennae for smelling. The male sings special songs for courtship with the female and displays aggression towards other male species.
Adult meadow grasshoppers stay in the same area, like meadows, occupied earlier by their nymphs. It is also a member of the intermediate-hatching group.
The male, when sitting alone, stridulates its wings to attract the female, and the female responds by stridulating back with a soft song. The mating begins and continues for about 30 minutes, after which the male crawls away. Four to six eggs are laid by the female and oviposition is completed after 25-30 minutes.
The nymphs grow quickly if exposed to a habitat with a warm temperature and completely develop in 30 days after hatching. However, the eggs of meadow grasshoppers living in mountain meadows can take three years before hatching.
Meadow grasshoppers are very small and are very difficult to capture for petting. Although they can be kept inside a glass jar with holes for ventilation, it is best to let these grasshoppers live freely in the wild.
For more relatable content, check out these grasshopper facts and grasshopper sparrow facts pages.
Meadow Grasshopper Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a meadow grasshopper?
The meadow grasshopper (chorthippus) is an insect that belongs to the Pseudochorthippus genus, Orthoptera order, and the kingdom of Animalia.
What class of animal does a meadow grasshopper belong to?
The marsh meadow grasshopper belongs to the Insecta class of the Orthoptera order and Acrididae family.
How many meadow grasshoppers are there in the world?
There are 11,000 species of grasshoppers in the world but there is no specific information provided for the number of Chorthippus curtipennis in the world.
Where does a meadow grasshopper live?
There are five types of these meadow grasshoppers and they are found across the provinces of Canada, the Ural, the Atlantic coast of Europe, Anatolia, the British Isles, Scandinavia, and southern Spain.
What is a meadow grasshopper's habitat?
The Chorthippus curtipennis prefers to live in moist vegetation, swales, long grass, along the edges of marshes, pastures, roadsides, mountain meadows, lakes, ponds, river valleys, and altitudes up to 6561 ft (2000 m).
Who does the meadow grasshopper live with?
A grasshopper is considered to be a solitary insect but the majority of adults stay within the area occupied by their nymphs such as meadows.
How long does a meadow grasshopper live?
Grasshoppers usually live up to one year but the average lifespan of the Chorthippus curtipennis has not been recorded yet.
How do they reproduce?
The males, when sitting alone, stridulate their wings to attract the females, and the females respond by stridulating back with a soft song. The males approach the female when she is 12 in (30.5 cm) away and they keep stridulating during the courtship.
The mating begins and continues for about 30 minutes, after which the males crawl away. The females lay four to six eggs and it takes her 25 minutes for the process of oviposition, after which she walks away.
They are covered by a coffee-brown, hardened froth.
It has four nymphal instars and the first instars appear around the late spring season and the eggs hatch during the next spring. The nymphs, after they hatch, grow quickly if exposed to a habitat with a warm temperature and completely develop in 30 days.
What is their conservation status?
The Chorthippus curtipennis of the Orthoptera order is a species of Least Concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. This grasshopper is very common and widespread in the UK.
Meadow Grasshopper Fun Facts
What does a meadow grasshopper look like?
The marsh meadow grasshopper is medium-sized, slanted, green, and has bars on the back of its neck. It can also be brownish, purple-red, and pink in color. The female species are larger than the male species, but the wings of the male species, extending to the tip of the abdomen, are larger than that of the female species.
How cute are they?
They are cute insect species with long wings, protruding side-eyes, and tiny bodies.
How do they communicate?
A male Chorthippus curtipennis calls for the female by rubbing its hind legs against its wings to create a song. This is usually done to call and attract females for mating.
How big is a meadow grasshopper?
A marsh meadow grasshopper is only 0.67-0.91 in (1.7-2.3 cm) long. The adults are almost the same size as a mud dauber wasp.
How fast can a meadow grasshopper fly?
Being a flightless insect, the Chorthippus curtipennis cannot fly.
How much does a meadow grasshopper weigh?
A meadow grasshopper is very lightweight, but the average weight of these adults has not been recorded yet.
What are the male and female names of the species?
There is no sex-specific name given to a meadow grasshopper (chorthippus). It is otherwise referred to as a male meadow grasshopper and a female meadow grasshopper of the Acrididae family.
What would you call a baby meadow grasshopper?
The babies of a meadow grasshopper are called nymphs.
What do they eat?
They are herbivores and their favorite food includes leaves, grass, and sedges. However, they are eaten by birds, beetles, spiders, coyotes, skunks, and rodents.
Are they poisonous?
No, the Chorthippus curtipennis is not poisonous, but they do use toxins to defend themselves.
Would they make a good pet?
Meadow grasshoppers are very small and are very difficult to capture for petting. Although they can be kept inside a glass jar with holes for ventilation, it is best to let these grasshoppers live in the wild.
Did you know...
Meadow grasshoppers are the only flightless grasshoppers in the UK. They have no hind wings.
Katydids look similar to grasshoppers, however they have wings to fly away from danger unlike grasshoppers.
Can grasshoppers smell?
These grasshoppers use their antennae for smelling. They can differentiate between different kinds of explosives’ smells according to a new study.
How many eggs do meadow grasshoppers lay?
The male, when sitting alone, stridulates to attract the female, and the females respond by stridulating back with a soft song. The males approach the female when she is 12 in (30.5 cm) away and they keep stridulating during the courtship.
The mating between the adults begins and continues for about 30 minutes, after which the males crawl away. Four to six eggs are laid by the females.
They are bottle-shaped and a coffee-brown, hardened froth surrounds them. The eggs of meadow grasshoppers living in mountain meadows can take three years to hatch.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our camel cricket facts and mole cricket facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable meadow grasshopper coloring pages.
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