Aiolopus strepens

Females of the brown beach cricket ( Aiolopus strepens )

The brown beach cricket ( Aiolopus strepens ) is a short probe cricket from the family of grasshoppers ( Acrididae ). It is very common in the Mediterranean region and in Central Europe northwards only to Ticino, to South Tyrol, Southern Austria and Hungary before. Imagines the brown beach cricket can be found from late summer to the next spring.

Description

The beach brown grasshopper is a medium sized, relatively slender -winged grasshopper field of the subfamily of wasteland terrors ( Oedipodinae ) whose males 18-24 mm, females reach 22-32 mm body length.

In contrast to the closely related Green beach cricket ( A. thalassinus ) is relatively compact in design with relatively short hind legs, which measure no more than 3.5 times the height in length. However, there are rare even animals that are not unique to you in this regard. The most important feature of distinction is the shape of the pronotum. This is by strepens on the top almost flat and not constricted again weak in the front area in front of the central constriction. At thalassinus is saddle-shaped and curved front constricted twice. The length of the antenna provides a distinctive feature, it is shorter than head and pronotum in strepens together in thalassinus just as long.

The basic color is usually a light brown, which is rare even breathed on green or red, but there are also completely green colored animals before, especially females. The pronotum is usually monochrome, often sold with a wide longitudinal stripes on the top, which continues to the top of the head. The rear rails are predominantly red and whitish only on the basal third. The transparent hind wings are often colored blue at the base, but you will also be absolutely clear in the apical part, they are darkened brownish.

It describes up to three subspecies, which mainly differ in the coloration of the hind wing.

Female

Greenish colored specimen ( female)

Dissemination

The brown beach cricket has spread throughout the Mediterranean and there also on the islands (including the Balearic Islands, Malta, Sardinia, Sicily, Cyprus) to find. The distribution ranges in the west to Morocco, the Canary Islands and Madeira to, in the north to the Ticino, South Tyrol and southern Austria, to Hungary and Romania. In North Africa, the species is found as far south as the Sudan. Furthermore, the area extends over Egypt in the Middle East and there south to Saudi Arabia. About Asia Minor it runs eastward to Azerbaijan and further south to Iran and Pakistan.

Habitat

This Mediterranean species is thermophilic than the north also used Green beach cricket and take you where both species occur together, much warmer habitats to dry. In the Mediterranean they preferred in contrast to other Oedipodinae sunny, but not too dry wasteland. She is there almost everywhere often.