Glen Parva & Glenhills Nature Reserve - Species List

Key to the list at the end of each section:
Black - Bio Blitz 2015 not photographed
Blue - Bio Blitz 2015 photographed
Red - photographed & identified by Volunteers
Green - from NatureSpot
All pictures are taken on the reserve.
Hover over the following pictures to enlarge

Grasshoppers & Crickets

Grasshoppers prefer to eat grasses, leaves and cereal crops, but many grasshoppers are omnivorous. Many grasshoppers eat from several host plants in one day, while others stay on one host plant. One of the 8000 species of grasshopper eats only a single species of plant.

Crickets
, family Gryllidae (also known as true crickets), are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets (family Tettigoniidae). They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets. They tend to be nocturnal and are often confused with grasshoppers because they have a similar body structure including jumping hind legs

Common Field Grasshopper - Chorthippus brunneus
John F Oct 2016

Common and widespread, the Field Grasshopper is ubiquitous in any open, sunny, grassy area, including our gardens. Adults are present from June until late autumn, feeding on plants and grass. A gregarious species, males can be seen displaying to females by rubbing their legs against their wings to create a 'song' - in this case, it is brief, single chirrup, repeated at short intervals. After mating, the eggs are laid in the soil ready to hatch the following summer.
They are usually mottled brown in colour, with barring on the sides, the Field Grasshopper is most easily identified if seen close-up when the the very hairy 'chest' is clearly visible.
Common Groundhopper - Tetrix undulata
John F

It has a body length of 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in); females are usually slightly larger than the males. The colour scheme varies between different individuals and different morphs are present, from darker brownish to lighter yellow-white. Individuals with predominantly light colour often have a darker pattern.
The habitat is usually moister grasslands such as meadows and marshes, but it may also occur in drier areas. In dry environments, however, it usually keeps to humid and cooler places, and in wet environments it tends to stick to drier areas. Food consists mainly of mosses and algae.
Lesser Marsh Grasshopper - Chorthippus albomarginatus
John F July 2017

Length 13-23 mm. Similar in appearance to the Meadow Grasshopper; straw brown or light green-coloured and less brightly coloured than the Meadow Grasshopper. The side keels of the pronotum are almost parallel. It has a rather pointed snout, robust antennae and a white border to the wings which varies in intensity. It has functional wings and flies readily in hot weather.
This grasshopper can be found in damp grassland areas, particularly where it floods in winter, but also occurs in drier conditions, on roadside verges, waste ground, etc.

Meadow Grasshopper - Chorthippus parallelus
John F

The Meadow grasshopper is a resident of mainly damp, unimproved pastures and meadows. Grasshoppers go through a series of moults, from wingless nymphs to winged adults, shedding their exoskeletons as they grow. Nymphs are present from April onwards, turning into adults in June who feed on plants and grass. Males can be seen displaying to females by rubbing their legs against their wings to create a 'song' - in the case of the Meadow grasshopper, this is a regular 'rrrr' sound. After mating, the eggs are laid in the soil in a pod, ready to hatch the following spring.

Slender Groundhopper - Tetrix subulata
Sue H 20140711

Small grasshopper-like insect with wide ‘shoulders’ and a narrow tapering abdomen hidden beneath an extended pronotum. Wings exceed the tip of the pronotum. The distance between the eyes is greater than in the very similar Cepero’s Groundhopper (greater than 1.5 times the width of an eye).
It is 9-14 mm long and when fully winged, capable of flight and adults can swim.
It is herbivorous, feeding on algae, mosses and lichens.
Lives in bare mud and short vegetation in damp, unshaded locations. Particularly associated with base-rich or calcareous soils (dune slacks, limestone sea cliffs and floodplains and fens where the ground water is alkaline). Eggs are laid directly into the ground or in low vegetation.

Bio Blitz ------ 26-06-2015 blue & black

Common Field GH - Chorthippus brunneus
Lesser Marsh GH - Chorthippus albomarginatus

Meadow Grasshopper - Chorthippus parallelus
Oak Bush-cricket - Meconema thalassinum
Roesel's Bush-cricket - Metrioptera roeselii
Slender Groundhopper - Tetrix subulata

 
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