Green Grasshopper - Tettigonia viridissima L.
The body of this grasshopper is almost entirely green, sometimes with brown spots on the chest and wings. The wings are very long, extending far beyond the end of the abdomen. The antennae are very thin, longer than the body. The body length can reach up to 40 mm.
This is the grasshopper referred to in the famous song: "There sat a grasshopper in the grass... he was green..." Grasshoppers produce their chirping by rubbing their forewings against each other. The name "grasshoppers" is related to the fact that they chirp, as if "blacksmiths are striking a hammer on an anvil."
This omnivorous species is a pest of field crops in the southern part of the European region, damaging wheat, barley, corn, millet, sorghum, soybeans, alfalfa, various legumes, and melons, as well as sunflower, sesame, poppy, tobacco, and rose buds.
It eats leaves and devours immature grains and pods. Among garden crops, it prefers peaches, plums, walnuts, and others, damaging buds, leaves, and ripe fruits. On grapevines and blackberries, it damages leaves and young shoots, and on oak and other deciduous trees - the leaves. Sometimes the damage can be quite significant, especially in dry years. It simultaneously feeds on various small insects (dipterans, small caterpillars, etc.) and mites. When kept in captivity, it shows a tendency towards cannibalism, eating weaker individuals and larvae of its species. There have been recorded cases of it eating Colorado potato beetle eggs.
Adult individuals can be found from June to September, in forest zones - starting from the end of July. Their chirping can be heard during the day and until 2-3 AM. The mating of adults lasts about 45 minutes. After 15 minutes, the male begins to chirp again. The female's consumption of the spermatophore can last for 15 hours. The female lays eggs in the ground at a depth of 2 cm one by one, placing them closely together, glued to each other in groups of 2-4, totaling up to 70-100 eggs.
The species overwinters in the soil in the egg phase. In spring, larvae appear, which develop over 50-70 days, going through 5-7 larval stages. The larvae are also green with a brown or dark stripe on the back and differ from adults by the absence of wings.
The green body of the grasshopper blends well with the surrounding greenery of the grassland, making it difficult for predators to detect. Grasshoppers are excellent jumpers, making jumps nearly two hundred times their own length.
Medicines made from insects were used in ancient times when folk medicine flourished. In the countries of the Middle East, the yellow juice regurgitated by grasshoppers was once collected and sold in pharmacies.
In deserts, it prefers river valleys and the edges of tugai forests. In Central Asia, it penetrates high into the mountains, sticking to gorges with lush grassy vegetation. Habitats include forested areas along the coast, heather, blackberry, shrubs, grassy edges of wet forested areas, wet and semi-wet pastures, meadow hayfields, wet meadows, reeds, bulrush, arable lands, riverside meadows, grassy marshes, and the edges of fields and cereal crops. In wooded areas, it is more commonly found in the lower parts of the crowns.
Vertical habitat ranges from 15 m to 1830 m above sea level.
Distribution: Western Tian Shan, Northern Tian Shan, the Issyk-Kul basin, and the Priferghan regions of Kyrgyzstan.
Insects of Kyrgyzstan
