# Italian locust

*Calliptamus italicus*

When they fly, their hind wings reveal a brilliant, unexpected rose-pink coloration that can startle potential predators.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Orthoptera › Acrididae › Calliptamus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Dry grasslands, steppes, rocky hillsides, and fallow agricultural fields.
- **Diet:** Herbivorous, feeding on a wide variety of wild and cultivated plants, especially Fabaceae and Asteraceae.
- **Range:** Southern Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, Middle East
- **Size:** Males 14-26 mm, Females 22-40 mm
- **Lifespan:** About 1 year (overwinters as eggs)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss due to intensive agriculture, heavy pesticide use, and reforestation of open grasslands.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. You can safely observe this grasshopper from any distance. If handled, they may jump suddenly or secrete a harmless brown digestive fluid as a defense mechanism. Wash hands with soap and water if handled.

## About

Calliptamus italicus , the Italian locust , is a species of 'short-horned grasshopper' belonging to the family Acrididae, subfamily Calliptaminae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/601a4fb5-3ab3-4ce8-a266-3200759d14eb
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/464211
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliptamus italicus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/563361199/medium.jpg (Gilles San Martin, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.