Marsh meadow grasshopper

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5 - Secure

Minnesota

not listed

Marsh meadow grasshopper is a common, medium-small, stridulating, slantface grasshopper. It occurs in southern Canada and in the northern two-thirds of the United States. It is common throughout Minnesota. It is found from July through October or to the first frost in wet prairies, damp meadows, open woodlands, streamsides, roadside ditches, and moist depressions in fields (swales).

The female is ⅝″ to 15⁄16″ (15 to 24 mm) in length. The male is smaller, ½″ to ⅝″ (13 to 15 mm) in length.

The top of the head is triangular when viewed from the side, narrowly angled on the male, more broadly angled on the female. The face is distinctly slanted. On the upper part of the forehead (fastigium), there is a small but distinct narrow, oblong impression (foveola) on each side. The foveolae are visible when viewed from above. The antennae are flattened near the base. On the female they are shorter than the length of the head and front part of the body (pronotum) combined. On the male they are longer and thickened.

The body is slender and compressed. The color is highly variable. The upper side is usually light brown. The pronotum is saddle-shaped, flat above with the sides abruptly angled downward. A black bar on each side extends from behind the compound eye across the top half of the side (lateral lobe) of the pronotum. The sides of the body, the face, and the lower half of the lobes of the pronotum may be green, brown, or gray. Each segment of the abdomen is banded with green and black. When viewed from the side, the sides of the body appear spotted with black. The underside of the abdomen is yellow.

The forewings (tegmina) are light brown, oval, and variable in length. They are about three-fourths the length of the abdomen on most females and reach the tip of the abdomen on most males, but they may be shorter or longer on either sex.

On the hind pair of legs, the outer face of the robust, third segment (femur) is not banded. The fourth segment (tibia) is usually yellow, rarely orange. It has a row of 12 or 13 spines on the outer margin. The spines, at least at the tip, are black. The “knees”, the end of the femur and base of the tibia, are black.

Size

Male: ½″ to ⅝″ (13 to 15 mm)

Female: ⅝″ to 15⁄16″ (15 to 24 mm)

Similar Species

Wet prairies, damp meadows, open woodlands, streamsides, roadside ditches, and swales

Season

July to October (CCESR)

Behavior

Life Cycle

Nymph Food

Adult Food

Grasses and sedges