''Chorthippus biguttulus'', the bow-winged grasshopper, is one of the most common species of

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...

found in the dry grassland of northern and central Europe. It is part of a group of species (''biguttulus''-group) that are very difficult to identify morphologically. ''Chorthippus biguttulus'' was previously classified (with '' C. brunneus'' and '' C. mollis'') as a single species ''Stauroderus variabilis''. The three species were distinguished using song characteristics.

Distribution

The range of the bow-winged grasshopper extends from the Finland and Scandinavia in the north to the Alps and Pyrenees in the south, and goes well into Asia including Japan.

Physical appearance

Females grow to approximately and are larger than males that grow to approximately . Males often have a red tip to the abdomen while females do not. They can be extremely variable in colour from green to black-brown to rose. ''C. brunneus'' and ''C. bigguttulus'' are morphologically indistinguishable but will not mate due to difference in their calls. If a proper call is produced while the two species are placed in proximity, mating will occur with fertile offspring resulting. This is thought to be the early stages of species divergence in progress.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q309524 biguttulus Orthoptera of Asia Orthoptera of Europe Orthoptera of Africa Grasshoppers described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus