Another Grasshopper to ID. - Melanoplus sanguinipes

Moved

… Eric R. Eaton, 6 March, 2008 - 2:33pm

Moved

Moved from Grasshoppers, Katydids and Crickets.

… Eric R. Eaton, 9 October, 2007 - 4:00pm

Could Be Your Other Hopper's Mate!

This is another spur-throated hopper, a male, and if I could see the end of this one's abdomen more clearly I'd take a proper crack at a species ID. Best guess as-is: another migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes). Try catching a look-alike male specimen next time you're at the beach and compare the looks of his goodies to the external genitalia you can see on the migratory males in the following two links...the notched, two-pointed upper edge on the subgenital plate is quite distinctive. The other common species I mentioned before, the red-legged, their males' subgenital plates have a broad, scooped-out-looking upper edge and the entire end of the abdomen appears rather bulbous, enough so that after a while you can often distinguish between the migratory and red-legged males by their silhouettes alone.

Migratory grasshopper pics:
http://www.sidney.ars.usda.gov/grasshopper/ID_Tools/F_Sheets/migrator.htm
http://www.opsu.edu/UnivSchools/ScienceMathNurs/PlantsGrassh/grasshoppers/files/m_sanguinipes.html

A broken-bar dark marking in the middle of the outer 'thigh' as exhibited by this particular fellow (and your other similar specimen) as opposed to a much more even dark marking is usually a good way to tell older migratory and red-legged nymphs apart, by the way. Unfortunately, in my experience it's never a reliable field mark when looking at the mature hoppers...some red-leggeds develope broken-bar markings upon reaching adulthood just to be contrary, it seems!

… Heimchen, 22 August, 2007 - 5:48pm

Grasshopper

Thank you for all your info. I appreciate it very much.

… Kildale, 22 August, 2007 - 7:50pm

probably again

Fully in agreement with the other comments here, and I'd apply the same comments to this as I did to the female. I can add that it's definitely not a Red-leg, because the shape of the abdomen is wrong (and the coloration is wrong too, but that's less reliable). The shape looks good for M. sanguinipes, but you can't see enough detail to be sure. There are several things that can help identification, and in this species there is another handy dandy trait that can help. The male (and often to a lesser degree the female) has a little bump under the thorax in the middle near the front. In most species this area is flat, and only a few close relatives have the bump [not talking about the spur on the "throat", which all Melanoplus have]. You usually have to catch them to see it, but it is an instant and easy distinction from a few others that are often otherwise very similar (such as M. angustipennis). The color of the hind tibia is often useful too (except that in this species, and certain others it can be just about any color).

… David J. Ferguson, 7 November, 2007 - 1:19pm

more checking - vote for M. sanguinipes

After more digging, I can't find another species from that area that would fit this insect, so I'm making a strong vote for it being M. sanguinipes.

… David J. Ferguson, 22 February, 2008 - 7:04pm