graceful grasshopper

(Melanoplus gracilis)

Conservation Status
graceful grasshopper
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Graceful grasshopper is a small spur-throated grasshopper.

There is a black lateral stripe behind the eye that continues across the upper thoracic shield (pronotum). The lower half of the pronotum is white.

The abdomen has bold black markings.

The wings are rounded, very short, and widely separated. They do not overlap over the back.

The forelegs and midlegs are green. The third segment of the hind leg (femur) is green with no dark markings.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

 

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Shrubby areas of moderatley moist woodlands, thickets, old fields

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

Mid July to early October

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

Eggs overwinter

 
     
 

Nymph Food

 
 

Shoots and other easily digested parts of the same plants that adults feed on.

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

Leaves of grasses and grassy agricultural plants.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 19, 29, 30.

 
  9/4/2016      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Uncommon

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids)  
 

Suborder

Caelifera (grasshoppers, locusts, and allies)  
  Infraorder Acrididea (grasshoppers)  
 

Superfamily

Acridoidea (short-horned grasshoppers and locusts)  
 

Family

Acrididae (short-horned grasshoppers)  
 

Subfamily

Melanoplinae (spur-throated grasshoppers)  
 

Tribe

Melanoplini  
 

Genus

Melanoplus (North American spur-throated grasshoppers)  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

graceful grasshopper

graceful narrow-winged locust

graceful spur-throat grasshopper

slender spur-throat grasshopper

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Femur

On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.

 

Pronotum

The exoskeletal plate on the upper side of the first segment of the thorax of an insect.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this insect.

 
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  Cary Coop
9/19/2019

Location: Jabs farm site, Louisville swamp unit, Jordan, MN

   
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

Binoculars


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