Showing posts tagged orthoptera
Chinese Grasshopper (Acrida cinerea) by Dana Campbell A. cinerea is a species in the silent slanted-face grasshopper subfamily (Acridinae).  The 40+ species in genus Acrida lack stridulatory organs on their legs, hence they are “silent.”  Acrida species are omnivorous; many are pests of agricultural crops including sorghum, wheat, rice, cotton, weed, sweet potato, sugar cane and Chinese cabbage. A. cinerea, is found throughout China, Japan, South East Asia and Indonesia. It grows to 2-3 inches long, has a green or brown body, colorless hind wings and long legs that support long jumps and sustained flight. Historically it has been used as a human food source, recent studies have examined its nutritional value as a potential high quality and easy to rear oil source for the poultry industry… (read more: Encyclopedia of Life)              (photo: Kenpei)

Chinese Grasshopper (Acrida cinerea)

by Dana Campbell

A. cinerea is a species in the silent slanted-face grasshopper subfamily (Acridinae).  The 40+ species in genus Acrida lack stridulatory organs on their legs, hence they are “silent.”  Acrida species are omnivorous; many are pests of agricultural crops including sorghum, wheat, rice, cotton, weed, sweet potato, sugar cane and Chinese cabbage.

A. cinerea, is found throughout China, Japan, South East Asia and Indonesia. It grows to 2-3 inches long, has a green or brown body, colorless hind wings and long legs that support long jumps and sustained flight. Historically it has been used as a human food source, recent studies have examined its nutritional value as a potential high quality and easy to rear oil source for the poultry industry…

(read more: Encyclopedia of Life)              (photo: Kenpei)

Madagascar’s rainbow milkweed locust (Phymateus saxosus) is not only chic, it’s also toxic, since it eats the poisonous milkweed it’s named after. Locals call these bright insects tumateus. Source: GRID                                             Photo: Dan Doucette View high resolution

Madagascar’s rainbow milkweed locust (Phymateus saxosus) is not only chic, it’s also toxic, since it eats the poisonous milkweed it’s named after. Locals call these bright insects tumateus.

Source: GRID                                             Photo: Dan Doucette
sinobug: “What shall I do today? Maybe I should try to blend in better!!” unidentified grasshopper nymph by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr, Pu’er, Yunnan, China See more Chinese insects and spiders on my Flickr site HERE… View high resolution

sinobug:

“What shall I do today? Maybe I should try to blend in better!!”

unidentified grasshopper nymph by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr, Pu’er, Yunnan, China

See more Chinese insects and spiders on my Flickr site HERE…

(Reblogged from sinobug)
sinobug: Long-headed Grasshopper (Acrida sp.) family Acrididae, order Orthoptera by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr. Pu’er, Yunnan, China See more Chinese grasshoppers and crickets on my Flickr site HERE… View high resolution

sinobug:

Long-headed Grasshopper (Acrida sp.)

family Acrididae, order Orthoptera

by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China

See more Chinese grasshoppers and crickets on my Flickr site HERE…

(Reblogged from sinobug)
sinobug: Chinese Bush Cricket (Gampsocleis gratiosa) A common Beijing practice, especially amongst the older set, is to keep crickets for their song. The Chinese Bush Cricket is a large vocal species which are kept in small cages and even carried around in pockets. I have kept a couple for several months during which time they provided superb picture opportunities. They do well on a diet of carrots and the occasional mealworm. Inevitably, it is easier to find these in a pet shop than in the wild. Beijing, China See more Chinese grasshoppers and crickets on my Flickr site HERE… View high resolution

sinobug:

Chinese Bush Cricket (Gampsocleis gratiosa)

A common Beijing practice, especially amongst the older set, is to keep crickets for their song. The Chinese Bush Cricket is a large vocal species which are kept in small cages and even carried around in pockets. I have kept a couple for several months during which time they provided superb picture opportunities. They do well on a diet of carrots and the occasional mealworm. Inevitably, it is easier to find these in a pet shop than in the wild.

Chinese Bush Cricket (Gampsocleis gratiosa)

Chinese Bush Cricket (Gampsocleis gratiosa)

Chinese Bush Cricket (Gampsocleis gratiosa)

Beijing, China

See more Chinese grasshoppers and crickets on my Flickr site HERE…

(Reblogged from sinobug)
The Greater Arid-land Katydid (Neobarrettia spinosa), also known as the Red-eyed Devil,  will rear up in a formidable display if disturbed. They mainly hunt insects but will also feed on fruit and other plant material. They are not common every year, but when they occur they tend to stay low in trees and especially seem to prefer hanging around Prickly-pear Cactus. This specimen was spotted in Big Bend National Park, west Texas, USA. (photo: Donn Edwards)               (via: Project NOAH) View high resolution

The Greater Arid-land Katydid (Neobarrettia spinosa), also known as the Red-eyed Devil,  will rear up in a formidable display if disturbed. They mainly hunt insects but will also feed on fruit and other plant material. They are not common every year, but when they occur they tend to stay low in trees and especially seem to prefer hanging around Prickly-pear Cactus. This specimen was spotted in Big Bend National Park, west Texas, USA.

(photo: Donn Edwards)               (via: Project NOAH)

How One Insect Jumps on Water’s Surface by Live Science staff Pygmy mole crickets are skilled jumpers on land and amazingly on water, too. New research shows how their back legs act like spring-loaded paddles to propel them from the surface of a pond. Researcher Malcolm Burrows, of the University of Cambridge, explained that water can be a deadly trap for many small insects. “Water grabs and holds an insect, offering it as an appetizing snack for an alert fish. Pygmy mole crickets turn the stickiness of water to their advantage and use this property to enable jumping,” Burrows said in a statement. He collected samples of the species (Xya capensis) from a pond in South Africa and then recorded the insects showing off their jumping skills with a high-speed camera. From watching the footage in slow motion, Burrows saw that the insects have oarlike paddles on their legs that cut through the surface, fan out and send a ball of water downward as their bodies fly into the air… (read more and see video: Live Science)            (photo: Burrows et al., Current Biology)

How One Insect Jumps on Water’s Surface

by Live Science staff

Pygmy mole crickets are skilled jumpers on land and amazingly on water, too. New research shows how their back legs act like spring-loaded paddles to propel them from the surface of a pond.

Researcher Malcolm Burrows, of the University of Cambridge, explained that water can be a deadly trap for many small insects.

“Water grabs and holds an insect, offering it as an appetizing snack for an alert fish. Pygmy mole crickets turn the stickiness of water to their advantage and use this property to enable jumping,” Burrows said in a statement.

He collected samples of the species (Xya capensis) from a pond in South Africa and then recorded the insects showing off their jumping skills with a high-speed camera. From watching the footage in slow motion, Burrows saw that the insects have oarlike paddles on their legs that cut through the surface, fan out and send a ball of water downward as their bodies fly into the air…

(read more and see video: Live Science)           

(photo: Burrows et al., Current Biology)

earth-song:

This colorful little grasshopper is the Blue-eyed Grasshopper (Megacheilacris sp). Obviously it gets its name from its bright baby blue eyes which are incredibly striking. Since this fabulous creature is found in the dense forests of South America, there’s little information on them. Total bummer, I know.
(Reblogged from earth-song)
Schwarm der Wanderheuschrecke (Acrididae) from Brehms Thierleben. Allgemeine Kunde des Thierreichs, Neunter Band, Vierte Abtheilung: Leipzig: Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, 1887. View high resolution

Schwarm der Wanderheuschrecke (Acrididae)

from Brehms Thierleben. Allgemeine Kunde des Thierreichs, Neunter Band, Vierte Abtheilung: Leipzig: Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, 1887.

CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! - Urban Grasshoppers Sing Louder Study finds that roadside males boost calls. by Jeremy Berlin Urban grasshoppers are changing their tune. According to a new paper in Functional Ecology, males that dwell by busy roads boost the bass of their courtship songs to be heard above traffic. Previous research has shown that human-made sounds affect the calls of birds, whales, and frogs. This study is the first to show that insects aren’t immune. Ecologist Ulrike Lampe and her colleagues at Bielefeld University in Germany rounded up 188 male bow-winged grasshoppers (Chorthippus biguttulus)—half from quiet places, half from roadside spots—and exposed them to a female grasshopper. When the road warriors “sang” their two-second-long courtship song by rubbing their hindlegs against their front wings, they increased the lower frequencies. Their country cousins did not. Lampe says the bass boost helps males be heard over the din of traffic, which could be disturbing the species’ call-and-response mating rites. The fact that these males sang loudly in a quiet lab environment, she adds, suggests that the change is “not a spontaneous behavioral adaptation to noise” but a long-term effect… (read more: National Geo)                 (photo: Blickwinkel/Alamy) View high resolution

CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! - Urban Grasshoppers Sing Louder

Study finds that roadside males boost calls.

by Jeremy Berlin

Urban grasshoppers are changing their tune.

According to a new paper in Functional Ecology, males that dwell by busy roads boost the bass of their courtship songs to be heard above traffic.

Previous research has shown that human-made sounds affect the calls of birds, whales, and frogs. This study is the first to show that insects aren’t immune.

Ecologist Ulrike Lampe and her colleagues at Bielefeld University in Germany rounded up 188 male bow-winged grasshoppers (Chorthippus biguttulus)—half from quiet places, half from roadside spots—and exposed them to a female grasshopper. When the road warriors “sang” their two-second-long courtship song by rubbing their hindlegs against their front wings, they increased the lower frequencies.

Their country cousins did not. Lampe says the bass boost helps males be heard over the din of traffic, which could be disturbing the species’ call-and-response mating rites. The fact that these males sang loudly in a quiet lab environment, she adds, suggests that the change is “not a spontaneous behavioral adaptation to noise” but a long-term effect…

(read more: National Geo)                 (photo: Blickwinkel/Alamy)

Tiny Katydid Ears Look Remarkably Human by Stephanie Pappas Their ears may be on their legs, but katydids hear a lot like humans do, a new study finds. In fact, even though insect and mammal lineages diverged a staggeringly long time ago, even for the evolutionary scale, our ears have evolved to work in remarkably similar ways. The findings could be useful for engineering miniature sound sensors, said Daniel Robert, a bionanoscientist at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. “It’s a bit of a breakthrough for us, because now we know that ears exist that can do such refined analysis [of sound] and yet be that small and that simple,” Robert told LiveScience. Robert and his colleagues focused their study on the South American katydid Copiphora gorgonensis, an orange-face insect that can hear sound whose frequency ranges from 5,000 to 50,000 hertz. Humans, in comparison, can hear between about 20 and 20,000 hertz. These katydids sing at about 23,000 hertz, in ultrasound, or above the human range of hearing… (read more: Live Science)         (photo: Daniel Robert and Fernando Montealegre-Zapata) View high resolution

Tiny Katydid Ears Look Remarkably Human

by Stephanie Pappas

Their ears may be on their legs, but katydids hear a lot like humans do, a new study finds.

In fact, even though insect and mammal lineages diverged a staggeringly long time ago, even for the evolutionary scale, our ears have evolved to work in remarkably similar ways. The findings could be useful for engineering miniature sound sensors, said Daniel Robert, a bionanoscientist at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

“It’s a bit of a breakthrough for us, because now we know that ears exist that can do such refined analysis [of sound] and yet be that small and that simple,” Robert told LiveScience.

Robert and his colleagues focused their study on the South American katydid Copiphora gorgonensis, an orange-face insect that can hear sound whose frequency ranges from 5,000 to 50,000 hertz. Humans, in comparison, can hear between about 20 and 20,000 hertz. These katydids sing at about 23,000 hertz, in ultrasound, or above the human range of hearing…

(read more: Live Science)        

(photo: Daniel Robert and Fernando Montealegre-Zapata)

narrowalanwept:

The northern mole cricket is found in the eastern and central states, from Nebraska to Texas, and from Ontario (Canada) to Florida. This species is seldom, if ever, a pest in the continental USA though it sometimes is found in turf.

(Source: the-presidents-jester)

(Reblogged from homopteran)
Hooded Grasshopper (Teratodus monticollis), Nagpur, India Found throughout India and Sri Lanka, they feed on a wide variety of leaves. They do not develop their distinctive “hoods” until adulthood. (photo: Tarique Sani) View high resolution

Hooded Grasshopper (Teratodus monticollis), Nagpur, India

Found throughout India and Sri Lanka, they feed on a wide variety of leaves. They do not develop their distinctive “hoods” until adulthood.

(photo: Tarique Sani)

insectlove:allcreatures: A * Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis) chomps on a piece of popcorn which had been dropped by a fan watching baseball at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas  (Picture: MCT /Landov / Barcroft Media) (via Pictures of the day: 19 July 2012 - Telegraph) * paxon can identify the fuck out of some orthopterans :3 View high resolution

insectlove:allcreatures: A * Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis) chomps on a piece of popcorn which had been dropped by a fan watching baseball at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas 

(Picture: MCT /Landov / Barcroft Media)

(via Pictures of the day: 19 July 2012 - Telegraph)

* paxon can identify the fuck out of some orthopterans :3

(Reblogged from insectlove)
Giant Weta Crickets (Deinacrida spp.) The giant wetas are the world’s heaviest insects. The heaviest ever recorded was a female that weighed 71g (2.5oz). That’s three times the weight of an average house mouse. In fact, wetas are the insect equivalent of mice. They evolved in the small rodent niche because in New Zealand there were no mice to compete with and no nocturnal mammalian predators to hunt them. (via: BBC Nature)       (photo: Peter Reese) View high resolution

Giant Weta Crickets (Deinacrida spp.)

The giant wetas are the world’s heaviest insects. The heaviest ever recorded was a female that weighed 71g (2.5oz). That’s three times the weight of an average house mouse. In fact, wetas are the insect equivalent of mice. They evolved in the small rodent niche because in New Zealand there were no mice to compete with and no nocturnal mammalian predators to hunt them.

(via: BBC Nature)       (photo: Peter Reese)