Omocestus rufipes
Encyclopedia
Omocestus rufipes, the 'Woodland Grasshopper', is a species of 'short-horned grasshoppers' belonging to the family Acrididae
subfamily Gomphocerinae
.
This grasshopper is present in most of Europe
, in eastern Palearctic ecozone, in North Africa
and in the Near East
.
The adult males grow up to 11–17 mm (0.433070866141732–0.669291338582677 ) long, while the females reach 13–22 mm (0.511811023622047–0.866141732283465 )of length. They can be encountered from early June through late October in meadows, grasslands and in sunny clearings in woodlands. They mainly feed on grasses and various herbaceous plants.
The basic coloration of the body varies from light brown to blackish. The dorsal side is usually beige in males, brown or green in females. Pronotum has a white edge. In mature adults the underside of the apex of the abdomen is reddish or orange. The apex of the maxillary palps is almost white.
Eggs are laid in clusters just below the surface of the soil or in the roots of plants. Nymphs appear in April or May.
Acrididae
The Acrididae are the predominant family of grasshoppers, comprising some 10,000 of the 11,000 species of the entire suborder Caelifera. The Acrididae are best known because all locusts are of the Acrididae. The subfamily Oedipodinae is sometimes classified as a distinct family Oedipodidae in the...
subfamily Gomphocerinae
Gomphocerinae
Gomphocerinae is a subfamily of grasshoppers, commonly called slant-faced grasshoppers.Nineteen tribes are recognised:*Acrolophitini*Amblytropidiini Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893*Arcypterini Bolivar, 1914*Aulocarini...
.
This grasshopper is present in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, in eastern Palearctic ecozone, in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and in the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
.
The adult males grow up to 11–17 mm (0.433070866141732–0.669291338582677 ) long, while the females reach 13–22 mm (0.511811023622047–0.866141732283465 )of length. They can be encountered from early June through late October in meadows, grasslands and in sunny clearings in woodlands. They mainly feed on grasses and various herbaceous plants.
The basic coloration of the body varies from light brown to blackish. The dorsal side is usually beige in males, brown or green in females. Pronotum has a white edge. In mature adults the underside of the apex of the abdomen is reddish or orange. The apex of the maxillary palps is almost white.
Eggs are laid in clusters just below the surface of the soil or in the roots of plants. Nymphs appear in April or May.