Grasshopper ID - Holme Fen , Cambridgeshire, UK (1 Viewer)

[DoghouseRiley]

Hi All

I thought I had this one but although this species is moving further north...... is this Omocestus rufipes (female)?

It was moving around (quite fast), in and around a small clearing in wet (peat based) woodland, near a small stand of bracken.

Thanks, Gareth

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[pdwinter]

Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus female.

 

[DoghouseRiley]

Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus female.

Thanks Paul

 

[pdwinter]

Gareth

The because bit !

Not sure which books you are using for grasshoppers and which features they use to differentiate but the easiest feature for separating Field and Woodland Grasshopper is the shape of the pronotum where the front half of the pronotum edge ("side keel") is angled in Field GH and curved in Woodland GH..

 

[WalterRayle]

The pronotum markings certainly match Field Grasshopper, but overall this specimen doesn't look hairy/furry enough for that species. Field was once described on an ID workshop I attended as being as furry as one of those mouldy dog turds you often see.

 

[pdwinter]

The pronotum markings certainly match Field Grasshopper, but overall this specimen doesn't look hairy/furry enough for that species. Field was once described on an ID workshop I attended as being as furry as one of those mouldy dog turds you often see.

Field Grasshoppers vary in hairiness and depth of field / angle of photograph can affect how much hairiness is visible.

In the UK dichotomous keys that I have the hairiness of Field Grasshopper is only mentioned as one of the features in separating the two Chorthippus species Heath Grasshopper (C. vagans) and Field grasshopper (C. brunneus).

The other Chorthippus feature you can see in Gareth's photo is the costal bulge in the leading edge of the forewing above the tympanal opening.

Hope that helps

 

[DoghouseRiley]

Gareth

The because bit !

Not sure which books you are using for grasshoppers and which features they use to differentiate but the easiest feature for separating Field and Woodland Grasshopper is the shape of the pronotum where the front half of the pronotum edge ("side keel") is angled in Field GH and curved in Woodland GH..

Hi Paul

Thanks for clarifying. The difference in pronotum is very clear and although I came across the "costal bulge", tbh it didn't mean anything to me. In the photos I can now see this too. I used Srteven Falk's Flikr account as a reference point as I don't have anything book wise that is suitable.

Thanks again. Gareth

 

[Val35]

Chorthippus biguttulus and C.mollis aren't present in the UK ? Because if they are, I think females, such as the one in the picture, are not identifiable in the field...We refer to them as the "BBM" group in France.

 

[aeshna5]

Chorthippus biguttulus and C.mollis aren't present in the UK ? Because if they are, I think females, such as the one in the picture, are not identifiable in the field...We refer to them as the "BBM" group in France.

No they're not. At least not identified to be here.

 

[pdwinter]

Chorthippus biguttulus and C.mollis aren't present in the UK ? Because if they are, I think females, such as the one in the picture, are not identifiable in the field...We refer to them as the "BBM" group in France.

No - they're not present. The only two uk Chorthippus species with the angled pronotums are vagans and brunneus which can be separated by the position of the (principle) sulcus (males and females).
I have usually to get a sound recording of male Chorthippus species when I'm in Spain to get it past the committee!

 

[pdwinter]

Chorthippus biguttulus and C.mollis aren't present in the UK ? Because if they are, I think females, such as the one in the picture, are not identifiable in the field...We refer to them as the "BBM" group in France.

These are the 10 mainland UK Acrididae species

Chorthippus albomarginatus Chorthippus brunneus Chorthippus vagans Gomphocerippus rufus Myrmeleotettix maculatus Omocestus rufipes Omocestus viridulus Pseudochorthippus parallelus Stenobothrus lineatus Stethophyma grossum

and they still cause quite a lot of ID problems !

 

[pdwinter]

Here's the NBN data map for Woodland Grasshopper

The one Cambridgeshire record was somewhen between 1824-1849 !