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Species Melanoplus scudderi - Scudder's Short-wing Grasshopper

Scudder's Short-winged Grasshopper - Melanoplus scudderi - female Grasshopper - Melanoplus scudderi - female Grasshopper with red legs - Melanoplus scudderi - female Large Brown Grasshopper - Melanoplus scudderi Melanoplus scudderi - female Melanoplus scudderi - male grasshopper with short wings - Melanoplus scudderi - female Melanoplus scudderi? - Melanoplus scudderi - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)
Suborder Caelifera (Grasshoppers)
Family Acrididae (Short-horned Grasshoppers)
Subfamily Melanoplinae (Spur-throated Grasshoppers)
Tribe Melanoplini
Genus Melanoplus
Species scudderi (Scudder's Short-wing Grasshopper)
Size
male: 14-20 mm, female: 22-26 mm
Identification
Wings short, shorter than pronotum or slightly longer. Coloration brown to reddish brown. Hind femorae do not have bands on their outer faces, as in many Melanoplus, but may have two dark spots on top. Tibiae reddish. The oval forewings almost overlap above. Dark stripe behind eye may be present, but is often weak or absent. Found late in season, into late fall. Apparently the most abundant of the short-winged Melanoplus in many areas.

Reference works state this is perhaps really a group of closely related species.

Tip of male abdomen

Range
Eastern United States and parts of southern Canada
Habitat
Open woodland, brushy areas, forest edges.
Season
Typically fall into early winter. August-December (eastern North Carolina). August-November (Michigan).
Food
Feeds on forbs and other broad-leafed plants.
Print References
Capinera, Field Guide to Grasshoppers..., pp. 138-139, plate 29 (1)
Capinera, Grasshoppers of Florida, p. 111, description (2)
Bland, p. 100, photo of specimen (3)
Helfer, pp. 249-250, fig. 386 (4)
Brimley, p. 26 (5)
Internet References
On checkists or in collections for Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Michigan.
Works Cited
1.Field Guide To Grasshoppers, Katydids, And Crickets Of The United States
John L. Capinera, Ralph D. Scott, Thomas J. Walker. 2004. Cornell University Press.
2.Grasshoppers of Florida (Invertebrates of Florida)
John L. Capinera, Clay W. Scherer, Jason M. Squiter, Jason M. Squitier. 2002. University Press of Florida.
3.Orthoptera of Michigan
Roger Bland. 2003. Michigan State University Extension.
4.How to Know the Grasshoppers, Cockroaches, and Their Allies
Jacques R. Helfer. 1962. Wm. C. Brown Company.
5.Insects of North Carolina
C.S. Brimley. 1938. North Carolina Department of Agriculture.