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

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of grasshopper

Grasshopper

The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...

 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

Chorthippus brunneus

Chorthippus brunneus, the common field grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper found across Europe, much of Asia and North Africa . It is common in mostly dry and often sparse grassland, from the beginning of summer until October. Very hairy below the thorax. Song consist of short shirps like...

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

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

 and Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...

in the south.

Physical appearance

Females grow to approximately 2cm and are larger than males that grow to approximately 1.5cm. 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.