Locust with a sting?
Grasshoppers, crickets and hayhorses are well-known animals. A grasshopper with a sting causes astonishment. The "sting" just looks like this.
Long-and short-sensor fright
The order of locusts (Optothera) includes around 28,000 species. A rough distinction is made between two groups: The long-feeler (Ensifera) and the short-feeler terrors (Cealifera). It is not the sting that serves as a distinguishing feature here, but the length of the antennae.
You can clearly see the long antennae of the green hay horse (Tettigonia viridissima). It is assigned to the leaf locusts. This order alone comprises over 1100 genera.
The real crickets with around 600 genera and 4600 species are also classified here. On the other hand, if you look at the little grasshoppers, you will see that they are short-antennae terrors.
Due to their high distribution all over the world, locusts, like beetles, are an important source of food for amphibians, reptiles and birds.
Characteristics of the grasshopper
You probably know the enormous jumping ability of grasshoppers. This enables the construction of their strong hind legs. The thigh is greatly enlarged compared to the lower leg due to the muscles.
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In addition to the task of locomotion, the locust's legs and wings also serve as "musical instruments". These stridulation organs consist of a shrill ledge and a shrill edge. Their crossing creates the sound: the well-known chirping of different kinds.
The front wings are receded relatively narrow, the rear wings larger and expanded like an elongated fan. They provide buoyancy and support the little creatures when jumping. Most species rarely fly. However, locusts can fly several hundred kilometers per day.
What is the sting about? Firstly, this is only present in females and secondly, not a sting, but a laying tube for laying eggs. If you observe a grasshopper with a "sting", it is always a female with a laying tube. The laying tube, also called ovipositor, is formed from paired appendages of the genital segments on the animal's abdomen.
Reproduction with a sting?
Many insects have such a tube for laying eggs. In some, it has developed into a sting, such as bees and wasps. In other cases it is males in whom these appendages form an organ of copulation. The transformation into a laying tube is typical for the female grasshopper.
The construction of the laying tube is complicated. In higher insects, it is a double tube, at the base of which the genital opening is located. The eggs are passed through by mutually directed movements of the tubes. This assumes that the laying tube is equipped with muscles. As small as this "sting" is, its structure is a miracle of nature.
If you see a grasshopper with a "sting" in the future, do not be surprised. This is the copulatory organ or the laying tube. These can easily be mistaken for a sting.