ORTHOPTERA > CAELIFERA > Acrididae (Grasshoppers) > Gomphocerinae

A nationally rare and 'near threatened' species that is only found on warm, sheltered dry sandy heathland areas of the New Forest and south Dorset where the habitat is ideally a mixture of dwarf gorse, heather and patches of bare ground.

Chorthippus vagans is a medium-sized grasshopper with an overall length (head to tip of abdomen) of 13-21mm that can resemble a Woodland Grasshopper [Omocestus rufipes] - see that species write-up - or, more likely, the common dark-coloured form of the closely related, but slightly larger Field Grasshopper [Chorthippus brunneus]. The typical colour only seems to vary between a yellowish-brown to, what is usually described as, a dark greyish-brown, with little variation. The final abdominal segments are normally tinged orange-red in both sexes when mature, with this colouration usually extending to the hind femora. The most reliable features though are the well incurved side keels with the dark wedge-shaped markings reaching the rear of the pronotum, more of the pronotum in front of the sulcus than behind, hind femora usually with two dark bands, costal bulge, and wings that do not extend beyond the hind knees.

In comparison with some other species, they have a short season with nymphs hatching in May and adults typically not appearing until late June at the earliest, usually July, and generally not lasting beyond October.

Their 'song' is likened to a soft buzzing noise in short rapid bursts repeated at irregular intervals.