Omocestus viridulus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Nutrition:
Grasses

Habitat:
Omocestus viridulus is typical for all types of pastures so cattle pastures in the Alps or calcareous grasslands in the Swabian Alb. Omocestus viridulus is also found on forest clearings, clearcuts and in wet meadows. The basic requirement is a certain soil moisture so that extremely dry areas are avoided. On nutrient-poor, dry grasslands it prefers clearly more mesophilic places in higher elevations or northerly exposition, e.g. on the Swabian Alb.

Life cycle:
Omocestus viridulus is very early adult from early June onwards (lowlands) and can be seen until October. The eggs overwinter in the soil, such as at the base of grass clumps, and dry out easily.

Endangerment: regionally endangered or decreasing

Endangerment factors:
In most cases, Omocestus viridulus is not endangered, only in certain places with the destruction of pastures in favour of corn fields or by overbuilding.

Remarks:
In the Alps, Omocestus viridulus is usually the most common grasshopper (Caelifera) on pastures and in the Allgäu (southwest Bavaria) above 2000m above sea level often the only one.
The overall prevalence ranges from Northern Spain across central, northern and Eastern Europe to Mongolia.