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 | |
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. | |