Their auditory or tympanal organ is located on either side of the first abdominal segment.
Unlike most singing insects, where only the males stridulate, female marsh meadow grasshoppers are also capable of communicating via sound. The stridulation is produced in the same way by both sexes.
This group of grasshoppers (the Gomphocerinae) stridulate by rubbing the hind femur against the forewing.
The sound is emitted when the stridulatory peg, on the inner surface of the hind femur, scrapes against the radial vein of the elytra. The resonance chamber corresponds to the space created between the roof-shaped wings and the abdomen, a bit like the bow of a violin being drawn across a string so that the sound resonates inside the instrument.
The typical sound is a series of about 35 notes in quick succession that starts out softly and gets somewhat louder. The song lasts about 5 seconds and is never very loud.
The male stridulates differently depending on his intentions: if he wants to attract a female, approach her, mate with her or chase off another male. The female responds to the male’s call with a softer stridulation.
Marsh meadow grasshoppers are a diurnal species. Both the young and adults are agile, hopping through the grass. They can often be seen perched at the tip of plant stems. Adult males fly short distances near the ground, while the females always hop.