Omocestus viridulus

Colorful grasshopper ( Omocestus viridulus ) ♀

The Colorful grasshopper ( Omocestus viridulus ) is a short probe cricket from the family of grasshoppers ( Acrididae ). The species inhabited in the hill and mountain country, the herb layer open spaces, especially not to dry and extensively managed meadows and bogs. The Colorful grasshopper is widespread in Central Europe and frequently.

Features

The animals reach a body length of 13-17 millimeters ( males ) and 20 to 24 millimeters (females ). Your body is very variable green, brown, red or yellow in color, which is why the nature takes its German name. Most animals are laterally brown to reddish and colored on the back vigorously green. Unlike the Buntbäuchigen grasshopper ( Omocestus rufipes ) the abdomen end but never red. The wings are little or not spotted and back mostly green, otherwise dark or brown. Especially the females can be confused with the heath grasshopper ( Stenobothrus lineatus ) and the Buntbäuchigen grasshopper.

Occurrence

The species is widespread in Europe and Asia, and comes from northern Spain east to Mongolia before. In the north, the type is missing in the northernmost part of the British Isles and Scandinavia in the north, in the south it comes up in the north of Spain, Italy and Greece before. They are usually found between 300 and 900 meters above sea level, where the species occurs dominant. From the Southern Alps, they are up about 2600 meters, detected from the northern Alps to 2100 meters, but less than 300 meters and depending on climatic conditions over 1000 meters they are rare. Since the eggs of animals are sensitive to drought, one finds the kind in habitats with moist soils. Dry, arid areas are populated but with high rainfall as well, such as pastures in the northern Alps or semi-arid grassland, approximately in the Swabian Alb. They are found in the herb layer, for example, in bogs, wet meadows, glades, meadows and sparse forests, preferably where horstige grasses grow. Intensive agricultural pastures are not populated.

Way of life

The colorful grasshopper feeds on herbivores, especially of grasses. The females lay their eggs at the base of densely overgrown clumps of about sheep fescue ( Festuca ovina ) or wire Schmiele ( Deschampsia flexuosa ). Occasionally, the filing is also carried out in the ground. The winter set in summer eggs, so that the nymphs hatch until the next spring. During the winter, the eggs are resistant to flooding as well as drought. Imagines occur already at about the middle of June, the females go through an additional nymphal stage and are therefore fully grown later. Most individuals are found in August, in September they can only watch sporadically, rarely even into November.

Courtship and mating

The song of the male consists of a long, swelling buzz that is complemented by short tick noise. It is reminiscent of a rapidly ticking clock, so the species is called in the Netherlands " Wekkertje ". The song usually takes 10 to 20 seconds and is widely heard. The males react to rivals. A female approaches, the male goes on to similar-sounding vocals advertising. This is from the female, met with a song that is similar to the regular call of the male; it consists but of shorter and quieter sound sequences. The more excited are the partners, the stronger the mutual vocals.

Threats and conservation

The species is currently classified as not vulnerable in the Red List of endangered species in Germany, but it is inter alia in Baden-Württemberg due to increasing habitat loss on the early warning list. This grassland is intensively used for agriculture or converted to farmland, the type increasingly losing habitat. In particular, frequent mowing of the meadows leads to the disappearance of the species, since it relies on a tall herb layer. The reduction of Mahden moist meadows, the application of solid manure instead of manure and the prevention of reclamation can ensure the preservation of the deposits on agricultural land.

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