Chorthippus albomarginatus

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Chorthippus albomarginatus
Chorthippus albomarginatus m1.JPG
Female showing white wing stripe
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Caelifera
Family: Acrididae
Genus: Chorthippus
Species:
C. albomarginatus
Binomial name
Chorthippus albomarginatus
(De Geer, 1773)
Close-Up of a Chorthippus albomarginatus

Chorthippus albomarginatus, the lesser marsh grasshopper, is a common grasshopper of European grassland both damp-marshy and (despite its name) dry, including salt-marsh and coastal habitats.

Contents

Distribution

The range of the lesser marsh grasshopper extends from Finland and southern Scandinavia in the north to Spain and Italy in the south. [1] It was once present only in the southern parts of the UK but has been expanding its range northwards.

Physical appearance

Females grow to approximately 20 millimetres (0.8 in) and are larger than males that grow to approximately 15 mm (0.6 in). The female almost always has a longitudinal white stripe on the wing whereas the male rarely does.

The region behind the head is referred to as the "pronotal side-keels" and the bars are approximately parallel in this species. Although quite similar, it can be distinguished from the meadow grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus , which also has straight pronotal side-keels, by a number of characteristics. These include its ability to fly, white stripe on female's wing, and more pointed snout. It often tends to be less brightly coloured and more straw-brown than Chorthippus parallelus.

Both sexes can be extremely variable in colour from green to brown.

Song and reproduction

The song is very similar to Chorthippus brunneus , though perhaps a little slower, with 2–6 chirps each lasting approximately half a second. [2] There can be an 'alternation song' between competing males. Females lay eggs at the base of grass blades. [3]

Development

More rapid development of C. albomarginatus (maturation at a younger age) was found to be associated with higher DNA damage. [4] The association of increased DNA damage with shorter developmental times suggests that there is a trade-off between genetic integrity and growth rate. Although rapid growth would likely provide a fitness advantage, the increase production of reactive oxygen species associated with rapid development would probably make the individual more subject to oxidative DNA damage with negative consequences later in life. [4]

Related Research Articles

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Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fish, snakes and spiders. The mechanism is typically that of one structure with a well-defined lip, ridge, or nodules being moved across a finely-ridged surface or vice versa, and vibrating as it does so, like the dragging of a phonograph needle across a vinyl record. Sometimes it is the structure bearing the file which resonates to produce the sound, but in other cases it is the structure bearing the scraper, with both variants possible in related groups. Common onomatopoeic words for the sounds produced by stridulation include chirp and chirrup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roesel's bush-cricket</span> Species of cricket-like animal

Roesel's bush-cricket, Roeseliana roeselii is a European bush-cricket, named after August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof, a German entomologist.

Chorthippus jutlandica, the Jutland bow-winged grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the subfamily Gomphocerinae. It is endemic to sparsely vegetated coastal sand dunes in an area covering only 87 km2 (34 sq mi) between Blåvandshuk and Hvide Sande in western Jutland, Denmark, but it is common and not considered to be under any threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speckled bush-cricket</span> Species of cricket-like animal

The speckled bush-cricket is a flightless species of bush-cricket belonging to the family Tettigoniidae. The species was originally described as Locusta punctatissima in 1792.

<i>Chorthippus</i> Genus of grasshoppers

Chorthippus is a large genus of acridid grasshoppers with around 230 described species. The genus may be subdivided into subgenera including: Altichorthippus, Chorthippus and Glyptobothrus, with other species not placed.

<i>Chorthippus brunneus</i> Species of grasshopper

Chorthippus brunneus, also known as the common field grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper of the subfamily Gomphocerinae. The species is common and widespread in the Western Palearctic, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

<i>Pseudochorthippus parallelus</i> Species of grasshopper

Pseudochorthippus parallelus, the meadow grasshopper, is a common species of grasshopper in the tribe Gomphocerini. It is found in non-arid grasslands throughout the well vegetated areas of Europe and some adjoining areas of Asia. It is a well-studied organism in the discipline of evolutionary biology and was an early and important model system for the study of European phylogeography.

<i>Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa, commonly known as the European mole cricket, is widespread in Europe and has been introduced to the eastern United States. The scientific name is 'mole cricket', derived from the Latin 'gryllus' (cricket); and 'talpa' (mole), because of the fine dense fur which covers it and its subterranean habits, and because of the mole-like forelegs adapted for digging, a good example of convergent evolution.

<i>Tettigonia viridissima</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Tettigonia viridissima, the great green bush-cricket, is a large species of bush-cricket belonging to the subfamily Tettigoniinae.

<i>Chorthippus biguttulus</i> Species of grasshopper

Chorthippus biguttulus, the bow-winged grasshopper, is one of the most common species of grasshopper found in the dry grassland of northern and central Europe. It is part of a group of species (biguttulus-group) that are very difficult to identify morphologically. Chorthippus biguttulus was previously classified as a single species Stauroderus variabilis. The three species were distinguished using song characteristics.

<i>Arcyptera fusca</i> Species of grasshopper

Arcyptera fusca, the large banded grasshopper, is a species of 'short-horned grasshoppers' belonging to the family Acrididae subfamily Gomphocerinae.

<i>Spharagemon collare</i> Species of grasshopper

Spharagemon collare, the mottled sand grasshopper, is found in sandy-soiled, grassy areas of northern United States and southern Canada. They are known to be a minor pest of wheat crops; however, populations are rarely large enough to cause appreciable damage.

<i>Tettigonia cantans</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Tettigonia cantans is a species of bush crickets belonging to the family Tettigoniidae subfamily Tettigoniinae.

<i>Omocestus viridulus</i> Species of grasshopper

Omocestus viridulus, known in the British Isles as the common green grasshopper, is a Palearctic species of grasshopper in the subfamily Gomphocerinae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous grasshopper</span> Species of grasshopper

The rufous grasshopper is a species of grasshopper. 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.

<i>Conocephalus fuscus</i> Species of cricket-like animal

Conocephalus fuscus, the long-winged conehead, is a member of the family Tettigoniidae, the bush-crickets and is distributed through much of Europe and temperate Asia. This bush-cricket is native to the British Isles where it may confused with the short-winged conehead. These two species are phenotypically similar; however, the distinguishing factor between the two is the fully developed set of wings the long-winged conehead possesses that allows for flight. In the short-winged coneheads the hind wings are shorter than the abdomen, causing the wings to be vestigial and the species is incapable of flight. For this reason it is hard to discriminate between the two species during the early stages of their life cycle before the wings have fully developed. The colouration of the conehead is typically a grass green with a distinctive brown stripe down its back, though there are some brown phenotypes.

<i>Oecanthus pellucens</i> Species of cricket

Oecanthus pellucens, common name Italian tree cricket, is a species of tree crickets belonging to the family Gryllidae, subfamily Oecanthinae.

<i>Dissosteira carolina</i> Species of insect

Dissosteira carolina, the Carolina grasshopper, Carolina locust, black-winged grasshopper, road-duster or quaker, is a band-winged species of grasshopper which ranges widely in North America inhabiting weedy grasslands.

References

  1. Heiko Bellmann, Heiko (May 5, 1988). Field Guide to the Grasshoppers and Crickets of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins. ISBN   0-00-219852-5.
  2. Michael Chinery (1986). Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe. Collins. ISBN   0-00-219137-7.
  3. N. Waloff (1950). "The egg pods of British short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae)". Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London A . 25 (10–12): 115–126. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3032.1950.tb00088.x.
  4. 1 2 Bonisoli-Alquati, A.; Ostermiller, S.; Beasley, A. E.; Welch, S. M.; Møller, A. P.; Mousseau, T. A. (2018). "Faster Development Covaries with Higher DNA Damage in Grasshoppers (Chorthippus albomarginatus) from Chernobyl". Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 91 (2): 776–787. doi:10.1086/696005. PMID   29309248. S2CID   41637244.