Orthoptera - Grasshoppers and Crickets

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Lesser Marsh Grasshopper Chorthippus albomarginatus (De Geer, 1773)

Barnwell East LNR TL480583: 8 Jul 2008 Distinguished by having the sides of the pronotum (between the head and the wings) almost straight: in many grasshopper species the sides are concave Despite the common name, it is found in dry grassland as well as moist places NBN Atlas.

Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus (Thunberg, 1815)

East Pit, Cherry Hinton TL484559: 21 Jul 2015 Colour variable, these orange-tailed forms are conspicuous NBN Atlas.

Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus paralellus (Zetterstedt, 1821)

East Pit, Cherry Hinton, TL484558: 30 Jun 2015 The only flightless British grasshopper NBN Atlas.

Slender Groundhopper Tetrix subulata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Byron's Pool, Cambridge, TL437548: 26 May 2015 Groundhoppers are herbivorous, feeding on algae, mosses and lichens T. subulata prefers damp areas, unlike the Common Groundhopper T. undulata. This specimen was found in an area of marshy vegetation. NBN Atlas.

Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima (Bosc, 1792)

Male. Cambridge, Gwydir Street: 22 Jul 2015 The antennae are about 40mm long! Very short wings, resemble a saddle on the back of the male Nymphs are very speckly with striped antennae NBN Atlas.

Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema meridionale (Costa, 1860)

Cambridge, Gwydir Street: 26 Aug 2017 European species which has been establishing itself in Britain since 2001. Adult has only minute vestigial wings, unlike the native M. thalassinum (below). NBN Atlas.

Oak Bush-cricket Meconema thalassinum (De Geer 1773)

Cambridge, Gwydir Street: 12 Sep 2001 Body plus ovipositor about 20mm long: antennae nearly 40mm NBN Atlas.

Roesel's Bush-cricket Roeseliana roeselii (Hagenbach, 1822)

Barnwell East LNR TL479583: 1 Aug 2004 Once confined to coastal regions and rated Notable/Nb Has now spread widely inland, apparently benefitting from warmer climate Song is a long continuous note rather than the chirps of most other crickets Enlargement available NBN Atlas.

Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera (De Geer, 1773)

Cambridge, Barnwell East LNR TL479583: 11 Jul 2018 Short-winged and flightless. Adults take both insect prey and plants. Nymphs are herbivorous. NBN Atlas.

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