The green grasshopper is known even to young children, to whom their parents sing a famous song about this insect. However, not even every adult will distinguish it from similar locusts. And the difference between them is huge.
Description of the grasshopper
The grasshopper belongs to the suborder Longwhiskers and the family of True Grasshoppers. The name of this insect is directly related to its chirping, reminiscent of the sound of a hammer hitting an anvil. The grasshopper is a predator, its bite is accompanied by quite unpleasant sensations. It feeds on various small animals, some flowers and fruits. For humans, it is more a friend than an enemy, since it destroys phytophagous insects.
The head of the grasshopper is mobile, the jaws are narrow and extremely sharp, the small muzzle has a predatory and evil expression. The abdomen is not long, but massive. The grasshopper's whiskers are long, they are of great importance in his life. With their help, the insect orientates itself in space and gropes for its prey.
The hind legs of the grasshopper are quite long. Thanks to them, he moves, pushes off when attacking his victim. The forelegs help to grasp the branches when moving through the trees. In addition, they participate in the capture of prey.
The female grasshopper has a sword-like ovipositor behind. With its help, insects lay their eggs in various secluded places (under the bark of trees, inside the stems of plants, etc.).
Grasshoppers are most active in the dark. They can be located on the branches of shrubs and trees. They try to spend the day somewhere in a secluded place, while gathering in large numbers. At night they can fly through the window with light.
Locust description
The locust belongs to the Short-toed, of the Filare family. Allocate harmful locusts and harmless filly. Herbivorous insects can cause serious damage to agricultural land.
The locust has an inactive head. The expression of the muzzle is dull, the jaw is powerful. Outwardly, locusts radiate calmness and lack of aggression. It has a long, oblong abdomen. Locust whiskers are shorter than those of a grasshopper. In addition to the decorative function, they do not carry any semantic meaning.
The front legs of the locust are not as strong as those of the grasshopper. Their primary task is to create support when moving. The hind legs are again shorter, but they enable the insect to jump over fairly long distances.
The locust does not have an ovipositor. Therefore, the laying of eggs takes place in the soil.
Locusts prefer to move around during daylight hours. It can be seen on the ground or in the grass. Often they are located in whole flocks.
Thus, the main differences between a grasshopper and a locust are as follows:
1. The grasshopper is a member of the Long-tailed subfamily, the True Grasshopper family, the locust - the Short-toed subfamily, the Filaret family.
2. The grasshopper is a predator, the locust is a herbivorous insect.
3. Grasshoppers are beneficial to humans, locusts are harmful.
4. The greatest activity of grasshoppers at night, locusts - during the day.
5. The locust has a more elongated abdomen than the grasshopper, but the whiskers and paws are shorter.
6. Grasshoppers have an ovipositor, with the help of which they lay eggs in secluded places, in locusts it is absent, therefore eggs are laid directly in the ground.
By these criteria, it becomes much easier to differentiate between two different insects.
