Children often have fun, chasing in parks andlawns for small jumping insects. And the parents at this time, after receiving a few minutes of rest, enjoy peace and listen to a chattering chatter. So what is this mysterious being jumping and chirping in the grass? This is a green grasshopper.
We expand our horizons
We are talking about an insect from the family of True Grasshoppers. This is one of the representatives of the squad, which is widespread around the globe.
Orthoptera also include locusts, bears,crickets and many other famous insects, the total number of which reaches almost 20 thousand. The green grasshopper lives in Europe and Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Recently, it can be found not only on the plains, but also in the mountains. For example, in the Alps this insect feels great at an altitude of more than 1500 m.
What an insect looks like
You can watch grasshoppers from the beginning of July tothe onset of autumn cold weather. Thanks to the peculiarities of the body structure and appearance, they are beautifully camouflaged in the grass and in the bushes. A large green grasshopper can have a body length of up to 5-6 cm. At the same time, the length of its elytra can exceed 8 cm, and antennae antenna is one and a half times as long as the body.
The head of the insect is large, oval, severalflattened laterally. Color bright green, sometimes with brownish impregnations. The green grasshopper has three pairs of legs. Two shorter front pairs he uses, moving on surfaces. The third, the back pair of legs, is longer and stronger. It is needed by an insect for jumping. And the grasshopper has two pairs of wings. However, in flight only one is involved, and the second pair - external elytra - serves as a reliable protection.
What does a grasshopper have for lunch?
Remember, as in the song:he ate nothing but grass, did not touch the goat? It turns out that the author of these words was very mistaken. Do you know what the green grasshopper feeds on? He will eat with pleasure big and small insects, larvae and aphids. So actually we are dealing with a predator. But this does not mean that there is no vegetable feed in his diet. Juicy plants, buds and flowers, leaves of bushes and trees - is not a complete list of the vegetable menu of a small jumper.
Watch how a large green grasshopper hunts,very interesting, but for the layman it is almost impossible. To begin with, the insect masks very well in the grass. The grasshopper captures the production on the fly. He firmly holds her front paws and quickly kills with strong jaw-jaws. An insect-friendly insect is able to gnaw the chitinous defense of any victim.
What is the grasshopper singing about?
A green grasshopper whose photo can be seen inarticle, does not look like a great singer or musician. However, as soon as the heat subsides and evening approaches, real concerts start on the street. The sound of the chirping of the male grasshoppers is due to a special organ located on the right elytra. This is a special membrane-bow that rubs against the denticles on the right wing.
The music of grasshoppers has different themes.Strong short trills serve to intimidate competitors. Males publish them before a fight, in which they often inflict serious damage on the opponent. The outcome of a fight is sometimes fatal, but the most terrible damage can be considered a loss of whiskers. An insane male descends to the lowest step of the social ladder. He is weak, and everyone sees it.
And, of course, the males chatter to attractattention of females. The louder the love song, the greater the chance of mating and the appearance of offspring. As soon as the female showed interest in the male, the singing becomes quieter. The second part of the concert begins - fascinating. Performing a romantic serenade, a green grasshopper rises slightly on his hind legs, as if dancing.
Reproduction
External differences between the male and the female are completely definable. The abdomen of the female ends with a long, like a sword, an appendage. This is the ovipositor necessary for the continuation of the genus.
After mating, the female is busy laying eggs.Most masonry occurs in the soil, but it happens in the bark of trees and on the branches of the bush. In the spring of eggs appear larvae, feeding on plant food. Development before the adult takes about two months, during this time the young insect 5 times shed.
