British Insects: the Genera of Orthoptera
| British Insects: the Genera of Orthoptera | |
Adults diurnal; 12–15 mm long (males), or 13–19 mm long (females); variously coloured: forewings usually brownish and never green, the other body parts varying from green through brown to dark purple.
The antennae relatively short, with fewer than 30 segments; thickened towards the tip (more markedly clubbed in the male). The antennal tips not white (by contrast with Gomphoserippus). Forewings well developed; about equalling the abdomen to much shorter than the abdomen (not much shorter). The costal margin of the forewing straight, the wing narrowing gradually with no basal dilation. Hindwings fully developed. Foreleg tarsi 3 segmented; mid-leg tarsi 3 segmented; hindleg tarsi 3 segmented. The hind femora keeled. The ovipositor relatively short, and consisting of separate, prong-like valves articulated at the base. The males stridulous. The sound production femoro-alary. Auditory organs located in the first abdominal segment.
British representation. 1 species. Myrmeleotettix maculatus (Mottled Grasshopper). Native. Northern Scotland, southern Scotland, northern England, English Midlands, East Anglia, Wales, southeast England, central southern England, southwest England, Isle of Wight, and Ireland.
Vegetarian (feeding mainly on gasses); found outdoors in natural habitats (mostly associated with short turf, in dry situations).
Classification. Suborder Caelifera; Superfamily Acridoidea; Acrididae.
Illustrations. • Acrididae and Tetrigidae: Burr. • Chorthippus, Myrmeleottix, Tetrix: Burr.
To view illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the genera of Orthoptera. Version: 9th April 2007. http://delta-intkey.com’.
