Grasshoppers and Dragonfly for ID

JoanC · #1 (**permalink**) 14-09-2009, 01:44 PM

Can anyone help ID these please?

The Grasshoppers look similar except that one has short stubby antennae and dark eyes, the other has very long thin antennae and light eyes with a dot in the centre.

Is this a Ruddy Darter or Common Darter?

squishy · #2 (**permalink**) 14-09-2009, 03:52 PM

your dragonfly is a Common Darter

Jason Green · #3 (**permalink**) 14-09-2009, 03:57 PM

Hi Joan,

#1: Maybe the Field Grasshopper, Chorthippus brunneus (pink variant)

#2: Looks like one of the two Oak Bush-crickets...

#3: Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum

Take care,

Jason

JoanC · #4 (**permalink**) 14-09-2009, 05:30 PM

Thank you squishy and Jason. I will investigate the Grasshoppers further.

Can you tell me why it is a Common Darter and not a Ruddy? What are the ID pointers?

Tormentil · #5 (**permalink**) 14-09-2009, 06:02 PM

The legs give them away. The Common Darter has dark legs with a yellow stripe along the length. The Ruddy Darter legs are all black.

aeshna5 · #6 (**permalink**) 14-09-2009, 06:07 PM

1 Male Meadow Grasshopper (pronotal keel shape alone eliminates Field)
2 Oak Bush-cricket (the newcomer Southern BC can be eliminated as the photo shows a macropterous (fully winged) insect)

Grasshoppers have short antennae, bush-crickets(+other crickets) have very long antennae.

3 Male Common Darter (other than the leg colour mentioned the abdomen shape is quite different in males of Ruddy, being noticeably "waisted" which would show well from the angle of your good photo).