Siberian grasshopper (Gomphocerus sibiricus)

Gomphocerus sibiricus
Other common names
Siberian locust, club-legged grasshopper, Gomphocère des alpages (Fr), Sibirische Keulenschrecke (Ge), Сибирская кобылка (Ru)
Taxonomic classification
Suborder:	Caelifera
Family:	Acrididae
Subfamily:	Gomphocerinae
Tribe:	Gomphocerini
Genus:	Gomphocerus
Scientific name
Gomphocerus sibiricus (Linnaeus, 1767)
Geography
Native countries:
Bulgaria Georgia (country) Germany Italy Liechtenstein China Russia Spain Switzerland France Serbia Mongolia Ukraine
Traits
Diet:	Grasses and sedges, Forbs
Pest status
Known pest
Sound
Listen to this species on xeno-canto

Taxonomy

For full nomenclature and taxonomic details of this taxon, see Orthoptera Species File

Identification

The Siberian grasshopper (Gomphocerus sibiricus) sometimes called the Siberian locust is a species of slant-faced grasshopper in the subfamily Gomphocerinae of the tribe Truxalini. Slant-faced grasshoppers are recognized by their angled facial profile and typically slender, streamlined bodies with forward-tipped, pointed heads. Gomphocerinae are commonly known as “stridulating slant-faced grasshoppers” or “tooth-legged grasshoppers”, named for the row of pegs on the inner hind legs of males used to produce sound by rubbing against the wing edges.

Members of this subfamily can be readily distinguished from other grasshopper groups: they lack the prosternal spine found in Melanoplinae and the large, colorful, lobed hind wings typical of Oedipodinae. They also differ behaviorally and morphologically from Acridinae.

A few specialized anatomical terms are useful for identifying grasshoppers in this subfamily. Grasshoppers have four wings, with the leathery, protective front pair known as the tegmina. Just behind the head lies the pronotum, a saddle-shaped structure forming the upper part (notum) of the prothorax, the front segment of the thorax. Along the center of the pronotum runs the median carina, a raised ridge, which may be intersected by sulci. At the tip of the head, a central dent called the fastigium may be seen, flanked by lateral foveolae, shallow pits bordered by small ridges. These features, often visible with a hand lens, are key to distinguishing between closely related species within the subfamily.

Identification details

Siberian grasshopper coloration is highly variable, ranging from pale brown or light grey to dark grey or dark brown, often with olive or greenish-brown markings or spots. The tegmina are typically marked with numerous dark spots and may show pale, creamy to whitish bands along the lateral carinae of both the pronotum and tegmina. Antennae are club-shaped—distinctly so in males, more weakly in females—and appear somewhat flattened. The prozona is swollen, and the male’s fore tibia is noticeably thickened toward the tip. The hind tibia and the underside of the hind femur are brightly colored, appearing red, reddish, yellow, or yellowish-grey. Adult females measure 1.9–2.6 cm in length, while males are slightly smaller at 1.5–2.4 cm.

Gomphocerus sibiricus male Gilles San Martin

Distribution

Gomphocerus sibiricus has a boreoalpine distribution. It typically inhabits high mountain regions stretching from western Siberia to the Atlantic coast.

It is found across northern Eurasia, occupying the boreal zone except the southwest. Its range extends through South Siberia, northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia, and northeastern China. In mountainous regions, it occurs in southern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, from the Mongolian Altay to the northern Himalayas and southeastern Tibet.

In Spain, two subspecies occur: G. sibiricus hispanicus Uv. in the Central and Cantabrian mountains, and G. sibiricus pyrenaicus Uv. in the Pyrenees.

For more information and distribution records see [GBIF]

Biology

Siberian grasshopper nymphs and adults exhibit phase changes, though only in behavior; the resulting population fluctuations vary widely across regions and years. This species is notable for strong sexual dimorphism in its forelegs and a widespread green–brown color polymorphism. This polymorphism is independent of rearing conditions and may follow simple Mendelian inheritance, though the underlying genes remain unknown. During outbreaks, dense hopper bands and swarms can form, with short-range swarm migrations occasionally recorded in Siberia.

Eggs pods may be laid gregariously, reaching densities of up to 1,000 per square meter. Hatching occurs from late April in the southern parts of the range to late May or June in more northern and high-altitude areas. The Siberian grasshopper is univoltine, with eggs entering diapause through autumn, winter, and spring. Females usually deposit their eggs in moderately hard soil on open ground. The species develops through four nymphal instars. Nymphal development is typically completed within 20–30 days, after which adults emerge in late May or June. In southern regions, adults may persist until September, with oviposition taking place from late June through September.

Gomphocerus sibiricus overwinters in the egg stage with very low supercooling points (−32.8 to −22.6 °C), indicating strong cold tolerance. During diapause, eggs accumulate cryoprotectants such as glycerol, fructose, sorbitol, and certain amino acids, while glycogen remains high throughout development. These adaptations enable successful overwintering in cold alpine environments.

There has been some generation of high-quality genetic datasets for G. sibiricus. Shah et al. (2019) reported a transcriptome assembly of Gomphocerus that yielded a high-quality dataset, enabling extensive gene annotation, SNP discovery, mitochondrial genome assembly, and the detection of Wolbachia sequences, offering important resources for research on pigmentation, metabolism, and genetic diversity in the genus.

Habitat and ecology

In Switzerland, the Siberian locust dominates short-grass subalpine habitats, and in Russia’s Irkutsk region it is often linked to crested wheatgrass, Agropyron cristatum. It also occurs in lowland desert and meadow steppes. in The species adapts to temperature shifts by regulating stress-resistant compounds such as linoleic acid, a trait that supports its persistence during warmer periods and contributes to longer-lasting outbreaks.

While most locust species are confined to lowland habitats, the Siberian locust also occupies high mountain areas between 2,000 and 2,800 m, with a range extending from western Siberia to the Atlantic coast. within

The Siberian grasshopper feeds on a wide range of plants, though it shows a clear preference for grasses (Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae). It may also consume various dicotyledons such as Potentilla, Trifolium, and Achillea, as well as other monocotyledons like Iris. Among cultivated crops, it is most damaging to cereals—including wheat, barley, oats, rye, and occasionally maize and millet. Other crops such as potato, cabbage, and mustard may also be affected. In addition, this species is known to cause significant damage to natural pastures, particularly in South Siberia, northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia, Central Yakutia, and in high-altitude meadows and steppes.

Land-use change

The Siberian grasshopper is an indicator species in Xinjiang’s high-altitude (2,000–3,400 m) grasslands. G. sibiricus is less heat-tolerant than the Italian locust (Calliptamus italicus), and under high-temperature stress it shows fewer differentially expressed genes, with responses concentrated in metabolic pathways—particularly strong upregulation of MIOX in inositol degradation—indicating a different molecular strategy for coping with heat compared to C. italicus. G. sibiricus can adjust to rising temperatures up to ~30 °C by regulating stress-resistant substances, particularly unsaturated fatty acids. However, mortality increases sharply above this threshold. These adaptations allow the species to persist as a major pest in Xinjiang’s steppes under ongoing climate warming. Their their semilethal temperature range is 36–39°C.

Significant changes in land-use systems, especially in South Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, have resulted in sharp reductions of local populations of the Siberian grasshopper.

In Switzerland, wild ungulate grazing does not seem to influence this species, though sheep grazing may affect its population dynamics.

Management

Biological control of the Siberian grasshopper has been explored through field trials with entomopathogenic fungi, particularly Beauveria, showing some promise in Central Yakutia. Effective application would require strain selection for specific regions and industrial-scale spore production. Cultural control methods include ploughing areas with dense egg-pod clusters, which is inexpensive and effective for a season but can create favorable conditions in abandoned fields. Additional approaches such as rotational grazing, pasture improvement, early hay cutting, and meadow irrigation may help, while overgrazing can reduce populations in alpine meadows. Chemical control remains the most common strategy. Lindane powder and organophosphates were widely used in the past, and trials with ULV spraying and pyrethroids showed potential, but modern insecticides have not been fully evaluated due to fewer severe outbreaks in recent decades. Control efforts are complicated by the patchy distribution of colonies across heterogeneous landscapes in South Siberia and Central Yakutia. No reliable predictive models exist for population dynamics, though outbreaks in Siberia and Mongolia often follow several consecutive dry, warm springs and early summers. Monitoring systems rely on traditional survey methods but generally lack consistent surveys during remission periods, and hopper identification remains a challenge across the species’ range.

Pest status

For many decades, the Siberian grasshopper was among the most serious pest species in South Siberia, northern Kazakhstan, and Central Yakutia, often destroying nearly all seedlings and causing heavy damage to meadows and hayfields. During outbreaks, populations could reach densities of 200–400 individuals per square meter, while in favorable habitats “normal” densities averaged around 10 per square meter. Major shifts in land-use practices, particularly in South Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, have since led to drastic declines in local populations. Today, the Siberian grasshopper remains an important pest in Central Yakutia, where dry years bring significant damage to cereals and meadows, and it continues to be a major threat in the mountain regions of Central Asia, especially in meadow ecosystems. In addition, extensive abandoned fields in South Siberia and northern Kazakhstan now provide favorable habitats for the species.

Outbreaks

In 2014, warm climate conditions triggered persistent outbreaks of the Siberian grasshopper in Xinjiang, China.

Organizations associated with the Siberian locust

No results found in the database at this time—please reach out if you have any to share!

Resources

Title	Author(s)	Year	Geographic purview	URL
AgroAtlas Pests
IUCN European Red List of Grasshoppers, Crickets and Bush-crickets		2016		View URL
CABI Green Muscle education videos	Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International	2021

Specimen contributors for this species

Natural history collections are built by people. The specimens that document this species were collected in the field, preserved in collections, and identified by generations of researchers and naturalists. Bionomia helps make these often-overlooked contributions visible by linking specimen records to the people behind them.

The contributors shown here are drawn from specimen records made available through GBIF and attributed to individuals by Bionomia. Each list shows up to the 20 people with the most specimens for this species, ranked from most to fewest.

Collected by

These people collected specimens of this species in the field, helping build the physical record of where and when it has occurred.

• Fabian A. Boetzl — 16 specimens collected
• Gilles San Martin — 13 specimens collected
• Andre Hospers — 8 specimens collected

• Elia Guariento — 7 specimens collected
• Louis AUREGLIA — 5 specimens collected

Identified by

These people examined specimens and determined their taxonomic identity—an essential step in turning a collected specimen into a useful biodiversity record.

• Fabian A. Boetzl — 15 specimens identified
• Francesco Vitali — 14 specimens identified
• Gilles San Martin — 13 specimens identified

• Elia Guariento — 7 specimens identified
• Andre Hospers — 6 specimens identified