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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Orthoptera) » Grasshoppers (Caelifera) » Short-horned Grasshoppers (Acrididae) » Spur-throated Grasshoppers (Melanoplinae) » Melanoplini » Melanoplus » Lesser Fork-tail Grasshopper (Melanoplus scapularis)
Photo#1003582
smaller female Melanoplus from coastal scrub - Melanoplus scapularis
Copyright © 2014 David Almquist

smaller female Melanoplus from coastal scrub - Melanoplus scapularis
West of Carrabelle, Franklin County, Florida, USA
September 27, 2014
Size: ~17mm
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Contributed by David Almquist on 30 September, 2014 - 11:12pm
Last updated 10 November, 2014 - 8:23pm

I believe this is a female Melanoplus scapularis,
and I've placed her under this heading.

However, without seeing the male, there is always a chance this is wrong. The color pattern and morphology seems to match this species well though.

Daniel Otte recently named numerous Melanoplus species, mostly short-winged ones. I haven't sorted through them all yet, and it is possible that will affect naming of this and other similar species. I'm not sure yet if M. scapularis was among those "split" or not.

Finding matching males would help to be absolutely certain.

Moved from Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids.
… David J. Ferguson, 10 November, 2014 - 8:23pm login or register to post comments

 
I looked for males
after a couple of other people commented that this looked like a puer group female but they couldn't think what it might be, but could not find any more of either sex. Females and males of quercicola were very common in the area. I may try to look next year a little earlier in the year. I don't think that any of Otte's new ones looked likely, but I'll check again.
… David Almquist, 11 November, 2014 - 11:54am login or register to post comments

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