Meadow Grasshopper vs Ellipes Pygmy Mole Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Meadow Grasshopper Ellipes Pygmy Mole Cricket
Scientific Name Pseudochorthippus parallelus Ellipes minuta
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Acrididae Tridactylidae
Size 13-23 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Grasslands Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Detritivores
Regions Western Europe, Central Europe, Northern Europe Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Meadow Grasshopper

A common European grasshopper with shortened wings that render it flightless. It produces a regular, ticking song from dense grassland throughout the summer.

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Did You Know?

Despite having wings, it cannot fly and must walk or hop to get anywhere.

Ellipes Pygmy Mole Cricket

One of the smallest orthopterans in the world, barely visible to the naked eye. It lives in moist sand and mud along tropical waterways.

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Did You Know?

At just 3 mm long, it is smaller than many ants and is easily overlooked even by entomologists specifically searching for it.