[1] It is a medium-sized, broad, brown, short-horned grasshopper with clubbed antennae that are tipped with a conspicuous white or pale colour.

The environments in which it typically resides include dry grassland on calcareous soils, sheltered valleys with scrub, and the open borders of forests.

[3] The rufous grasshopper is usually found in open land, particularly terrain such as meadows, pastures, and forest edges that feature tall grass.

In fact, it can be found across almost all of Europe and Asia, ranging from France to parts of Siberia and from Scandinavia to northern Germany.

These adept climbers prefer to avoid remaining on the ground, and instead perch on plants in sunny, elevated areas.

It has been documented to eat plants of the genus Bromus, the species Holcus lanatus, and the subfamily Pooideae, all within the family Poaceae.

When autumn conditions are not too harsh, they are relatively tolerant of cold weather and adults may survive until early December.

The male begins by orienting himself close to his target female, and continues with a set of rhythmic movements of various body parts, including swiveling of the head, trembling of the palps, and other movement of the antennae and hind legs.

When in the active state, the female may even be induced to sing and permit copulation by even the male's ordinary song.

This study found that the supraesophageal ganglion, or brain, controls songtype, and the sequence and coordination of courtship subunits.

The resultant improved chances of copulation allow mating and fertilization to occur approximately one to two days earlier than it would without such an enduring display.

This technique likely changed from the more typical search strategy, in which male grasshoppers travel while making songs and responding to females.

The existence of females whose locomotor activity was reduced by the songs precipitated the evolution of the long courtship technique.

[9] Female behavior toward males is composed of three stages, beginning after the imaginal molt, through which the grasshopper reaches the adult phase.

Third, the female actively attracts the male by singing, and those in this state, which lasts several days, permit immediate copulation after a short courtship or without it.

It is hypothesized that this active state exists as a method for individuals in populations of low densities to have a chance to copulate.

It may be difficult in these populations to encounter other individuals by chance, and sounds produced by the males and females makes it easier for them to find one another.

If she fails to mate during this stage, she will lay eggs fertilized by the previous male and return to active attraction.

The cycle continues as it did at the first time entering the active phase, and follows this sequence for the rest of the adult life.

Pre-mating behaviors and the growth and development of the ovaries are controlled by the juvenile hormone-III, which is produced in the corpus allata.

Corpus allata activity is also affected by external factors, as it tends to be greater when mating and egg-laying are occurring, but much lower when they are prevented.

The act of copulation prompts a physiological and behavioral response in females termed “secondary defense”.

It is hypothesized that the secretion stimulates a bristle field of contact chemoreceptors where the spermathecal duct enters the endbulb.