Oriental longheaded locust

Its long, slender body helps it camouflage itself with the surrounding leaves.

Scientific name	Acrida cinerea
English name	Oriental longheaded locust
Japanese name	精霊蝗虫
Classification	Insecta
Classification details	Orthoptera Acrididae
Full length	Male 5cm, female 9cm.
Distribution	Distributed across Eurasia. Found throughout Japan.

Characteristics

A native grasshopper with a long, slender silhouette. It is thought to mimic the leaves of grasses. There are green and brown individuals.

Males are small, about 5cm long, but females grow to about 9cm in size. Their heads are pointed toward the tip, and their antennae are long.

Ecology

They become adults in early summer and are often seen in grasslands where grasses grow thick. They feed on grasses. When adults fly, they make a "chi-chi-chi-chi" sound. The larvae do not fly using their wings, but move by jumping.

Habitat

Tama River riverbed

There are many insects in the riverbed, but the female Short-horned Grasshopper is one of the larger grasshoppers. The individual I photographed was resting on a leaf and did not fly away. Its pointed antennae were impressive.