Packard's Grasshopper
Melanoplus packardii
This record describes Melanoplus packardii (species). Recorded family: Acrididae. Recorded order: Orthoptera.
Identification and Appearance
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
Habitat
Varied, but mostly open sunny areas of semi-arid nature, but with plenty of herbaceous plant growth. Roadsides and ditch banks are often favorite habitats.
Geographic Range
Common and widespread in inland western North America from Canada to near the northern border of Mexico and almost as far east as the Tallgrass Prairies once reached (falling about a couple hundred miles short of the Mississippi).
Diet and Behavior
Life History
overwinters as eggs buried in ground, with adults usually from early summer into about September or October or sometimes later.
About Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids: the wider group
Order-level background for Orthoptera, the group containing Melanoplus packardii. 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 Packard's Grasshopper (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by Tom Bentley; Additional contributions by Matthias Buck , David Ferguson , Tyler Hedlund