Oedipoda germanica
Encyclopedia
Oedipoda germanica, the 'Red-winged Grasshopper', is a species of 'short-horned grasshoppers' belonging to the family Acrididae
subfamily Oedipodinae.
This grasshopper is present in Austria
, Belgium
, Greece
, France
, Germany
, Italy
, Spain
, Switzerland
and in the Near East
.
The adult males grow up to 15–22 mm (0.590551181102362–0.866141732283465 ) long, while the females reach 22–32 mm (0.866141732283465–1.3 )of length. They can be encountered from early June through October in warm and dry stony or rocky habitats. They are almost exclusively phytophagous, mainly feeding in grass of mountain pastures and various herbaceous plants (Asperula cynanchica
, Galeopsis angustifolia
, Hippocrepis comosa, Teucrium chamaedrys
, etc).
The body is quite large and rounded. The basic coloration is brown-grayish, with transversal darker areas. The pronotum is equipped with a median carina
of pronotum not much raised. The compound eyes are large. The delicate front wings are straight and narrow, their colour is beige with darker bands. The hind wings are red (while they are turquoise in Oedipoda caerulescens
) with a black band on margin and are fit for flight.
The eggs - laid in clusters below the surface of the soil - hatch in next Spring.
Femora of the hind legs are red on the bottom, while tibiae are yellowish in the females and black in males.
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 Oedipodinae.
This grasshopper is present in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
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 15–22 mm (0.590551181102362–0.866141732283465 ) long, while the females reach 22–32 mm (0.866141732283465–1.3 )of length. They can be encountered from early June through October in warm and dry stony or rocky habitats. They are almost exclusively phytophagous, mainly feeding in grass of mountain pastures and various herbaceous plants (Asperula cynanchica
Asperula cynanchica
Asperula cynanchica is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family. Its common name is derived from its former use as a medicinal herb to cure quinsy. It is native to much of Europe....
, Galeopsis angustifolia
Galeopsis angustifolia
Galeopsis angustifolia or the Red Hemp-nettle is a European annual plant growing to 30cm tall. It flowers between June and October on waste ground, railway tracks, and other stony places. It is classified as critically endangered, having declined dramatically in the last 60 years due to increased...
, Hippocrepis comosa, Teucrium chamaedrys
Teucrium chamaedrys
Teucrium chamaedrys is a species of ornamental plant native to Europe and the Near East. It was historically used as a medicinal herb for the treatment of gout and sometimes as a component of Venice treacle.-Appearance:...
, etc).
The body is quite large and rounded. The basic coloration is brown-grayish, with transversal darker areas. The pronotum is equipped with a median carina
Carina
Carina may refer to:* Carina, a given name in Portugal and some other countries. It is a pet form of Cara, which can mean either "beloved" in Italian or "friend" in the Irish language-Locations:Carina is the name of the towns or villages:...
of pronotum not much raised. The compound eyes are large. The delicate front wings are straight and narrow, their colour is beige with darker bands. The hind wings are red (while they are turquoise in Oedipoda caerulescens
Oedipoda caerulescens
The blue-winged grasshopper, Oedipoda caerulescens is a grasshopper in the genus Oedipoda.-Morphological description:Oedipoda careulescens is a medium-sized grasshopper, between 15 and 21 mm for males and between 22 to 28 mm for females...
) with a black band on margin and are fit for flight.
The eggs - laid in clusters below the surface of the soil - hatch in next Spring.
Femora of the hind legs are red on the bottom, while tibiae are yellowish in the females and black in males.
Subspecies
- Oedipoda germanica var. germanica (Latreille, 1804)
- Oedipoda germanica var. kraussi Ramme, 1913
- Oedipoda germanica var. meridionalis Ramme, 1913
- Oedipoda germanica var. aurea Uvarov, 1923 - Oedipoda germanica var. aurea Uvarov, 1923