Insect Encyclopedia - Grasshopper

Grasshoppers (蝗, Grasshopper) refer to species belonging to the suborder Caelifera within the order Orthoptera, class Insecta, phylum Arthropoda. Their heads are inverse right-angled triangles when viewed from the side, and their wings are straight. The hind legs have thick femora and thin tibiae with spines. They are primarily herbivorous, feeding on grass. Although they have wings, they usually hop and move using their hind legs. When encountering predators, they defend themselves by kicking with their hind legs or escape by flying. They are born in spring, grow in summer, mate and lay eggs in autumn, and die in winter. In the past, grasshoppers were eaten roasted, and they are also emerging as a future food source. Over 90 species have been recorded in South Korea, with common examples including the rice grasshopper, black-backed grasshopper, Oedipoda chinensis, Oxya yezoensis, Locusta migratoria, Sinopodisma yamaura, Conocephalus chinensis, and Atractomorpha lata. Among these, the rice grasshopper, once commonly seen everywhere, has become rare due to pesticide use.