Migratory Grasshopper
Melanoplus sanguinipes
Identification 5
To beginners this species can seem very similar to the Red-legged Grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum). The easiest way to clinch the identification is check the male terminalia. The cerci have a distinctive shape and the subgenital plate has a notch at the tip. This species is usually grayish brown while the Red-legged Grasshopper often has green tones. Hind tibiae are usually red in both species, but can be blue in the Migratory Grasshopper.
Resources 5
A variety of views of M. sanguinipes: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1740691
Grasshoppers of the Western U.S.: http://idtools.org/id/grasshoppers/factsheet.php?name=13202
Capinera, J.L., R.D. Scott, and T.J. Walker. 2004. Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States. Cornell University Press.
Occurrence 5
Statewide. This species occurs throughout the U.S.
Froeschner (1954) discussed this species under the name M. mexicanus. At the time, this name included the "Rocky Mountain Locust," a devastating pest in Iowa in the late 1800's. Froeschner (1954) goes on for some length about the history of locust plagues in Iowa. Today, the Rocky Mountain Locust (now known as Melanoplus spretus) is considered extinct and the "non-migratory" phase of M. mexicanus is called M. sanguinipes.
Habitat 5
Most common in weedy areas, roadsides, or disturbed areas.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Kerry Matz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/47456931@N07/4501010460
- (c) Dan L. Johnson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Dan L. Johnson
- (c) James Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by James Bailey
- (c) Sean Cozart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sean Cozart
- (c) Tyler Grant, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
