Description: Small, light brown grasshopper (♂ 13-15 mm, ♀ 17-21 mm). The lateral keels of the pronotum are angularly curved, the tympanum is oval. Fore wings by males reach the hind knee, have a broad median field with a characterisitic ladder pattern of veins and a Chorthippus lobe. Females have shorter wings.
Similar species: Females are very similar to Ch. vagans, but that has no angularly curved side keels on pronotum. + Stauroderus scalaris, Ch. biguttulus, Ch. brunneus, Ch. mollis, Stenobothrus species
Adults: from June to October.
Song: Sings in sunny weather, its sound is similar to that of a steam locomotive starting up, accelerating in the first few seconds. The song is 10 to 30 seconds long and hearable up to a distance of 10 metres.

Source: Orthoptera Species File (lab recording, 26 °C)

Habitat: Humid meadows, forest margins, steppe grasslands, in closed vegetation, often in shady places. It's a poor flier.
Distribution: Widespread in hills and mountains, but not common.