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A small grasshopper, generally light brown in colour. The tegmina are narrow and have alternating light and dark patches. The hind wings are clear. The abdomen is yellowish on the ventral surface with darker sides, and the dorsal side is dark with two yellowish stripes. The head is compressed and its apex is rounded (Vickery & Kevan 1986).

Camnula pellucida is univoltine, and eggs in the soil are the overwintering stage. Oviposition occurs from midsummer to early fall. The species does not crepitate in flight, but stridulation is used by males to attract mates and as a sign of aggression toward other males (Vickery & Kevan). Along with several other species of grasshopper, C. pellucida has been observed to feed on and burrow into dung despite the availability of other resources, apparently for thermoregulatory purposes, as this creates cavities wherein the body can be cooled and feeding can continue (O'Neill 1994).

Synonyms include Oedipoda atrox Scudder, S.H. 1872, Chimarocephala obiona (Thomas, C. 1871), Tragocephala obiona (Thomas, C. 1871), Stenobothrus obionus Thomas, C., 1871, Oedipoda pellucida Scudder, S.H., 1862, Oedipoda tricarinata Stål 1873, Camnula atrox (Scudder, S.H. 1872) (from “Camnula pellucida, (Scudder, 1862)”).