Green-legged Grasshopper

Adult: solid green forelegs & midlegs; black lateral stripe running full length of pronotum; short wings covering less than half of abdomen (this combination of characteristics is diagnostic). Lower half of side of pronotum white, and top of pronotum either all black or black with white patches; adult male cercus triangular and slightly downcurved at tip ; subgenital plate with small hump or tubercle in middle of top edge , visible from above as a pale solid half-circle (both characteristics are diagnostic); hind femur usually with distinct brown or black markings. Dendrotettix and Appalachia usually have more extensive brown on hind femur; a prominent black line along mid-line of pronotum; wing pads separated over back; or, (sometimes in Dendrotettix ) wings fully developed. Melanoplus gracilis has plain, usually green hind femora; wing pads smaller, oval, widely separated. Booneacris has no wings. Otte (2002) recognizes 12 species in the Viridipes Group: Some of these have been treated as subspecies of M. viridipes , and others have tended to be ignored by authors since Hebard. Due to lack of knowledge about them, and the fact that they do not appear in general literature on grasshoppers, they are not well known. Some are perhaps subspecies of the same species that replace one another geographically. Some occur together in the same place and behave as distinct species. How many real biological species are represented is unclear, and the group needs more study in the field to understand relationships better. They are very difficult to identify from photos alone, but some probably can be, based on coloration and location, especially if the male cerci are shown in the picture. So far, these are not separated on BugGuide. Otte included M. gracilis Bruner in his treatment of the Viridipes Group. On the surface, the inclusion implies inclusion in the group, but it is not so included in the Orthoptera Species Files, where it is listed in its own Gracilis Group. Otte actually included the species for completeness and for comparison (it has been included in the group by previous authors), while also expressing doubt as to any close kinship. M. gracilis is distinctly different from the rest. Hebard and later Helfer did not include M. gracilis in the Viridipes Group (see Print References below). The Viridipes and Gracilis Groups are distinctive among Melanoplus and show similarities to the genera Paroxya , Appalachia , Booneacris , and Dendrotettix .