Oedipoda caerulescens
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Blue-winged Grasshopper
Taxonomy:
Orthoptera>>Caelifera>>Acridoidea>>Acrididae>>Oedipodinae
Photos: Click on a thumbnail to see a larger picture.
Status: Channel Islands native species.
Description: A large, cryptically coloured grasshopper with darker bands across the forewings and a marked keel on the pronotum. Distinctive in flight when bright blue basal patches with dark borders on the hind wings are shown.
Stridulation: Only heard during courtship; soft, short buzzing.
Habitat: Coastal sand dunes and south facing cliffs, disused quarries and stony fields.
Phenology: Adults appear in late July through to October and early November.
Distribution: This species is not present in the National Biodiversity Network Database currently (October 2008).