GRASSHOPPERS

There are around 8 000 grasshopper species worldwide. Here’s a look at one of the best-known and most remarkable members of the insect kingdom

MOST of us would’ve seen at least one grasshopper in our lives. You might even have had loads of fun trying to catch these six-legged high-jumping champions. But did you know that grasshoppers also “sing”? And that they can cause wide-spread destruction of crops and grasslands when they swarm?

MOUTH MAXILLA These are pincherlike appendages that cut and tear food such as leaves and stems. The edges overlap, cutting like scissors, while they also have flat surfaces to mince food with. LABIUM This functions as the bottom lip, or rather a back lip. ANTENNA Grasshoppers use antennae for touch and smell. SIMPLE EYE They have three simple eyes that can distinguish between light and dark. COMPOUND EYE Their two large compound eyes, each made up of hundreds of six-angled co-operating lenses, can perceive motion, shape and distance. With these, they’re able to see in all directions at once – like a camera on panoramic view. MANDIBLES Like lower jaws, this helps process food. HEAD MOUTH LABRUM A flap that serves as an upper – or front – lip. FEELERS With these fingerlike structures, it feels, holds and handles food in its mouth. EXOSKELETON A hard outer layer that protects the grasshopper’s soft insides. FRONT AND MIDDLE LEGS Like other insects, grasshoppers have six legs. The two front ones are used to hold food and to walk. LIFECYCLE EGG The female drills a hole in the ground with her ovipositor, lays about 150 eggs, and then closes the hole back up. Eggs

THORAX Two of these structures act as ears. No wings When the nymphs hatch, they don’t have wings but they resemble the adult grasshopper in every other way. Grasshoppers grow in phases (five to six phases in most species), casting off their exoskeleton between each phase and growing wings. They turn into hoppers at around five weeks old. ABDOMEN HIND WING Grasshoppers walk or jump but most types can fly too. The membranous hind wings are folded under the front wings and then spread out in a fan when needed. Grasshoppers breathe through two rows of holes in their abdomen called spiracles. After the last casting off of exoskeleton, the adult grasshopper emerges. Most species can fly quite well, though there are some species that never develop wings. The strong hind legs are perfectly adapted for jumping. A tube with which the female deposits eggs. TYMPANUM SPIRACLES HIND LEG OVIPOSITOR NYMPH ADULT FRONT WING The front pair (tegmina) are small, leathery and quite hard – not suited for flight. Its function is to cover and protect the soft hind wings when the grasshopper isn’t flying