Rufous grasshopper

Rufous grasshopper
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Caelifera
Family: Acrididae
Genus: Gomphocerippus
Species:
G. rufus
Binomial name
Gomphocerippus rufus
Synonyms
  • Acridium clavicorne De Geer, 1773
  • Gomphocerus rufus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Gryllus rufus Linnaeus, 1758
Close-Up of a Gomphocerippus rufus

The rufous grasshopper (Gomphocerippus rufus) is a species of grasshopper.[1] It is a medium-sized, broad, brown, short-horned grasshopper with clubbed antennae that are tipped with a conspicuous white or pale colour. It is fairly large, averaging 14 to 22 mm in length. It is of the subfamily Gomphocerinae in the family Acrididae, the predominant family of grasshoppers. This species is present in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, and in the Near East. It can be encountered from late July through mid-December, usually in dry or slightly moist habitats. The environments in which it typically resides include dry grassland on calcareous soils, sheltered valleys with scrub, and the open borders of forests. It feeds on grasses and various herbaceous plants. It is known for its distinctive courtship song and accompanying display.[2]

  1. ^ Ragge DR (1965). Grasshoppers, Crickets & Cockroaches of the British Isles. F Warne & Co, London. p. 299.
  2. ^ Harding, PT, ed. (1997). Atlas of Grasshoppers, Crickets and Allied Insects in Britain and Ireland. Natural Environmental Research Council.