Page 45 - World of Animals - Issue #30
P. 45
Leaping legends
Large marsh
LARGE MARSH
GRASSHOPPER
Stethophyma grossum grasshopper
Class Insecta
Britain’s largest grasshopper species
Territory Europe Easily distinguishable by its typically bright
Diet Grasses green-yellow colouring, the female large marsh
Lifespan Unknown grasshopper can grow up to 36 millimetres
Adult weight Unknown
Conservation status (1.4 inches) in length. The slightly smaller male
compensates for his size by making himself
heard. Tapping the tip of its forewing with a hind
NOT EVALUATED tibia, the male produces a distinctive pattern of
eight ticks every three to four seconds.
Blue-winged grasshopper
The grasshopper that baffles by becoming a butterfly
When the blue-winged grasshopper the direction it has come from and
senses danger, it leaps into the if that wasn’t confusing enough for
air with impeccable timing and a predator, the colouring vanishes
its hindwings flash a brilliant blue, from view when the grasshopper
making it appear very much like a comes to rest. This is a useful
butterfly. But the magic really takes defence mechanism for an insect
place when it lands. As it touches that is otherwise vulnerable, due to
the ground in what is called a hook being commonly found in flat and
landing, it swings around to face open land.
“When it senses danger, it leaps into RIGHT
A blue-winged
the air with impeccable timing and grasshopper
gliding through
the air, displaying
its hindwings flash a brilliant blue” its amazing
colouring
45
042-047_Grasshoppers.indd 45 03/02/2016 15:09

