Rufous Grasshopper
Red club cricket ( Gomphocerippus rufus)
The Red club cricket ( Gomphocerippus rufus ) is a short probe cricket from the family of grasshoppers ( Acrididae ). The species is the only one of its kind in Europe. Your males have a particularly complex courtship behavior, which can take up to 15 minutes. The species occurs in almost all Eurasia and lives in dry to slightly moist, well-structured habitats. It is not endangered.
Features
The animals reach a body length of 14 to 16mm ( males ) and 17 to 23 millimeters (females ). The ground color varies greatly, ranging in varying shades of brown to gray, but can also be strong dark red ocher or reddish to. A characteristic feature of the species are particularly well developed in the male, lanceolate broadened probe lobes, which are black in color and have a white tip. Through this white lace is the kind of other types that also have such sensor lobes to distinguish good. The labial and Maxillarpalpen are white. The neck plate has a central seam and is seen from the side on the back straight. The often finely drawn white side keels are broadly edged with black and bent towards the front third. The gray-brown forewings are slightly bulged at the front edge, but have not extended medial panel. You are in the males longer and rich about the knee of the hind legs, with the females they are not enough quite reach her knees. The end of the abdomen of the male is reddish brown to red.
Occurrence
The species is widespread in Europe and Asia, and comes from France over central Europe to Manchuria and in almost all of Siberia. In the north the distribution limit at first runs through the south of Britain, continuing through Belgium and northern Germany and then but far enough north to in the northernmost Scandinavia. The southern boundary of the distribution is in the West in the Pyrenees, reaches further east in southern Italy and the Balkan Peninsula. The species also lacks the French Atlantic coast. It is demonstrated in the Alps up to an altitude of about 2480 meters above sea level, is there but most commonly between 100 and 800 meters in front. Their occurrence is limited there essentially on temperature- favored south-facing slopes.
The Red club cricket is thermophilic and inhabited open, dry to slightly moist habitats that are well structured. They are found mainly along forest edges, hedgerows, clearings and meadows with tall grasses and also on dry grasslands. Rich meadows and pastures eaten shortly be avoided.
Way of life
The Red club cricket fed to herbivores, especially of grasses, other herbaceous plants and rushes are rarely eaten. Avoid the animals to sit on the floor, but keep preferably in high places, sunny places on such as on blackberry but also herbaceous plants. They are capable of flight and thus colonize new ruderal areas that have arisen about by wind break, but only a few animals of a population move away even over longer distances, and therefore suitable compounds such as forest edges and slopes are necessary between sub-populations. The animals are good climbers in the vegetation and can also come off easily by thin stalks. The adults are very tolerant of cold and snow and can be observed through mid-December instead in some cases.
Courtship and mating
The males begin early as one to two days after the final moult with their singing, the females only after a further six to eight days. The song of the male is reminiscent of that of the nightingale - grasshopper ( Chorthippus biguttulus ), but is softer and without metallic sounds. It consists of about five seconds ongoing verses which consist of about 30 in quick succession following, hissing "sh - sh - sh ... " - " ... srt srt srt " exist or lutes. These sounds are produced by a superimposed movement of the legs, the legs vibrate irregularly and are simultaneously moved about four times per second and down. It meets regularly to exchange songs of males and females. The male climbs during the song in search of females by the vegetation. Is a female found, followed by a three-phase promotional song, which consists of " shi -shi -shi " sounds and the combined subsequently with distinctive sensor and Palpenbewegungen, the increase in intensity with time. The male first swings back and forth head and palps, then the sensors are rapidly raised and lowered to the female. Now the head is held steady and the palps perform trembling movements. Then, the sensor will flash pulled backwards while a discharged " zig " sound. This part of the ritual can be repeated before the entire advertising dance is performed again. The whole ritual can continuously last for up to 15 minutes. If the female is willing to mate, it finally responds with very soft sounds and the mating takes place. The spermatophore is transferred shortly after the start of mating.
Development
The females lay their eggs in semi-arid soils into the root system of grasses. Drier soils are avoided, sandy and gravelly terrain is rocky preferred over. About eight to nine eggs are laid per clutch in Eipaketen, total puts a female at only about five eggs. The hole is closed after oviposition with scratching and pounding movements with their hind legs. Overwinter The data stored in the autumn eggs, the larvae hatch until the spring of the following year. Its development is highly dependent on the temperature and runs optimally at about 30 ° C. The first adult animals occur from the end of June, most fully developed in August and live well into the autumn. The highlight of the populations is not until September, so that the dominant species occurs in late autumn compared with other locusts.
Threats and conservation
The Red club cricket is in Central Europe, particularly in the south to central Germany frequently, which is why it is considered as safely. However, it is assumed that individual subpopulations are affected due to the poor mobility of the type of insulation, as appropriate composite structures between the different habitats are increasingly rare.