Chorthippus albomarginatus (De Geer, 1773)

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Status: British Isles native species.

Description: 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.

Size: 13-23 mm

Wings: Functional wings that rarely reach the end of the pronotum. The species flies readily in hot weather.

Stridulation: Gentle burr repeated in cycles 2-6 times. Courtship stridulation sounds like a clock being wound.

Food: Mainly grasses.

Habitat: Landward side of sand dunes, also saltmarshes and shingle banks, low lying pastures and on the grassy slopes of dykes. Inland it is found on a wide range of rough grassy areas, often with sedges and grassy embankments. The species also occurs on roadside verges, waste ground, urban parkland, set-aside arable land, and in damp clearings in woods. Eggs are laid adjacent to grass stems on the surface of the soil.

Phenology: Mid season species with nymphs hatching in May. Adults appear from early to mid July and remain abundant through to October.

Distribution: The records held by the National Biodiversity Network are shown in the map below.

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Only the following datasets are included:

• Biological Records Centre - Grasshopper and Cricket (Orthoptera) and related species records from Britain and Ireland to 2007

Other datasets on the gateway may hold additional information.