Omocestus panteli, female
A new study by researchers in Spain looks at the genetic diversity of a common Iberian grasshopper, Omocestus panteli. The team determined that the grasshopper population has significant genetic subdivisions that can’t be explained by environmental factors or geographic barriers that exist today. Instead, these patterns point to the last glacial maximum—the time when the ice was at its peak about 21,000 years ago. At that time, O. panteli (adult female shown here) was likely even more common in terms of overall distribution, but swaths of unsuitable habitat broke up populations of the grasshopper and disrupted gene flow for long periods. (Photo by Pedro J. Cordero, Ph.D.)