Striking Short-wing Grasshopper
Melanoplus aspasmus
This record describes Melanoplus aspasmus (species). Recorded family: Acrididae. Recorded order: Orthoptera.
Identification and Appearance
The most common short-winged species of Melanoplus along the Coast Ranges in much of California, so most likely to be encountered, but best distinguished by looking at end of male abdomen. With tegmina (front wings) oval and separated (not touching) on back, often somewhat two-toned, with upper half a little paler than lower half, but often not. Males usually brownish or grayish with dark bar extending back from eyes onto upper sides of pronotum, and usually with sides of abdomen dark or nearly black. With inner face of hind femur yellowish with black (or dark) cross bands, with hind tibiae blue(ish). Females similar to males or much more even in coloring, and often with dark pattern nearly missing entirely. Very similar looking to most other short-winged species of Melanoplus . The male cerci longer than wide, are broad at the base, tapering abruptly near the middle to a slender round-tipped lobe. The male furculae are well-developed, more than half as long as the supra-anal plate, roughly narrow triangular, but blunt at tip, and they diverge from one another (most similar-looking species have tiny very short furculae). M. rileyanus is similar, found further south in the Transverse Ranges, or further east in the central Sierra Nevada, and has the cerci broader, with the lobe smaller and more on the upper extremity instead of at the tip, and also twisted inward toward the supra-anal plate. It has the furculae well-developed, but much shorter, more finger-shaped and parallel. The color pattern of M. rileyanus is usually more contrasting, with the tegmina two-toned (pale on inner/upper half and dark on outer/lower half). M. platycercus from the southern Sierra Nevada is much like M. rileyanus , but with the cercus even shorter and broader. Tip of male abdomen
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)
- Suborder
- Caelifera
- Family
- Acrididae (Short-horned Grasshoppers)
- Subfamily
- Melanoplinae
- Tribe
- Melanoplini
- Genus
- Melanoplus
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
California, primarily mountainous section between Central Valley and coast from Bay area south to San Luis Obispo County.
About Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids: the wider group
Order-level background for Orthoptera, the group containing Melanoplus aspasmus. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Orthoptera includes ~28,000 described species of grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids. Desert locusts can form swarms covering 460 square miles containing up to 80 million individuals per square kilometer.
Ecological role of the group
Grasshoppers and crickets are a primary food source for birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Cricket farming is a growing industry - crickets require 12× less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein, using 2,000× less water.
Economic and practical significance of the group
A single large locust swarm can consume the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people. The 2019-2021 East Africa locust crisis affected food security for 42 million people across multiple countries. Global crop losses from locusts can reach billions annually.
Recorded sources for this group: FAO, UN World Food Programme, research publications. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Striking Short-wing Grasshopper (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by David J. Ferguson; Additional contributions by Tyler Hedlund
Frequently Asked Questions About Striking Short-wing Grasshopper
What is Striking Short-wing Grasshopper?
Striking Short-wing Grasshopper (Melanoplus aspasmus) is a species in the family Acrididae, within the order Orthoptera.
How do you identify Striking Short-wing Grasshopper?
The most common short-winged species of Melanoplus along the Coast Ranges in much of California, so most likely to be encountered, but best distinguished by looking at end of male abdomen. With tegmina (front wings) oval and separated (not touching) on back, often somewhat two-toned, with upper half a little paler than lower half, but often not. Males usually brownish or grayish with dark bar extending back from eyes onto upper sides of pronotum, and usually with sides of abdomen dark or nearly black. With inner face of hind femur yellowish with black (or dark) cross bands, with hind tibiae blue(ish). Females similar to males or much more even in coloring, and often with dark pattern nearly missing entirely. Very similar looking to most other short-winged species of Melanoplus . The male cerci longer than wide, are broad at the base, tapering abruptly near the middle to a slender round-tipped lobe. The male furculae are well-developed, more than half as long as the supra-anal plate, roughly narrow triangular, but blunt at tip, and they diverge from one another (most similar-looking species have tiny very short furculae). M. rileyanus is similar, found further south in the Transverse Ranges, or further east in the central Sierra Nevada, and has the cerci broader, with the lobe smaller and more on the upper extremity instead of at the tip, and also twisted inward toward the supra-anal plate. It has the furculae well-developed, but much shorter, more finger-shaped and parallel. The color pattern of M. rileyanus is usually more contrasting, with the tegmina two-toned (pale on inner/upper half and dark on outer/lower half). M. platycercus from the southern Sierra Nevada is much like M. rileyanus , but with the cercus even shorter and broader. Tip of male abdomen
Where is Striking Short-wing Grasshopper found?
Range: California, primarily mountainous section between Central Valley and coast from Bay area south to San Luis Obispo County.