( Acrididae )
PHOTO COMMENT
(MacLeay ,1819 )
LOCATION DETAILS
RECOGNITION
BIOLOGY
CREDITS
Jim Ryugo
Park Maintenance, City of Oakland
References
| Short-horned Grasshopper ( Acrididae ) | |
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PHOTO COMMENT | |
| IDENTIFICATION | |
| Identification: | Acrididae (MacLeay ,1819 ) |
| Common Name: | Short-horned Grasshopper |
| Life Stage: | (A) adult |
| PHYLOGENY | |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Superorder: | Polyneoptera |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Caelifera |
| Family: | Acrididae |
| Taxon Code: | ORT02077 |
| ITIS/TSN: | 102195 |
LOCATION DETAILS | |
| Location Name | |
| Gardens at Lake Merritt, Lakeside Park, 666 Bellevue, Oakland | |
| County: | Alameda County |
| ECI Site#: | CA01100110 |
RECOGNITION | |
| Description | |
| Variable coloring with some brightly colored species. Wings: Usually well-developed, but may be short or absent in some groups. Wing length is variable, even within a single species. Pronotum: Does not extend beyond the base of the wings. Antennae: Short, typically about one-half the body length, and with less than 30 segments. Tympana: When present, are on the sides of the first abdominal segment. Legs: Hind femora are greatly enlarged for jumping, typically about as long as hind wings. Tarsi are all 3-segmented. Ovipositor: Short and stout. | |
| Body Length | |
| 9-80 mm, with most 15-30 mm. | |
| Diversity | |
| North America: 5 Subfamilies with 117 genera and about 620 species. 239 Species are in the genus Melanoplus. Worldwide: About 8,000 species. | |
| Similar Taxa | |
| Lubber Grasshoppers (Romaleidae); Pygmy Grasshoppers (Tetrigidae) | |
BIOLOGY | |
| Food | |
| Typically phytophagous, feeding on the foliage of forbs and grasses. Some feed on a variety of plants, while others are restricted to a few species of closely related plants. Dry plant matter from the ground is not fed upon. Some will scavenge dead or dying grasshoppers when plant food is scarce. | |
| Habitat | |
| Vegetated areas or open space, including on asphalt-covered parking lots or similar areas. Most species occur in grasslands, but some in forests, tundra and aquatic vegetation. | |
| Importance | |
| Members of this family are historical devastators of crops in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. | |
| Range | |
| All of North America. | |
| Diversity | |
| North America: 5 Subfamilies with 117 genera and about 620 species. 239 Species are in the genus Melanoplus. Worldwide: About 8,000 species. | |
| Active Period | |
| Spring to fall in temperate areas. Some species are present all year in southern California. | |
| Development | |
| Some species have fairly elaborate courtship, and mating may take up to an hour. Males may stay atop females for more than a day in a behavior known as "mate guarding." Females oviposit in loose soil (typically), among plant roots, in rotting wood, and even in dung. Clutches contain 10-60 eggs, and up to 25 clutches may be laid over several weeks. Oviposition typically occurs in late summer, and eggs hatch in Spring. Life cycle is typically one year. A few species overwinter as juveniles. | |
CREDITS | |
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Photographer Jim Ryugo Park Maintenance, City of Oakland | |
References | |
| Family Acrididae - Short-horned Grasshoppers (http://bugguide.net/node/view/155). Accessed January 30, 2016. . | |
| ITIS. | |
