Abstract
Based on the integration of citizen science data (iNaturalist, GBIF) and satellite remote sensing (NASA MODIS), we investigated macroecological patterns of color polymorphism in the handsome cross grasshopper Oedaleus decorus (Germar, 1825) across the Palearctic. A highly significant spatial and ecological differentiation of phenotypes was revealed along a gradient of vegetation condition. Green individuals tend to occur in mesic habitats with relatively dense vegetation, whereas gray individuals are associated with areas characterized by sparse or senescent vegetation. The within-season trend in the relative proportions of the color forms is nonlinear: the proportion of green adults consistently increases toward mid-summer, reaching a maximum in late July to the first half of August. This trend is distorted in years characterized by large-scale macroclimatic anomalies. The population-level patterns identified are consistent with the life form of Oe. decorus as a subcover geophile.