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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 » Alpine Grasshopper (Melanoplus alpinus)
Photo#227390
Grasshopper - Melanoplus alpinus - female
Copyright © 2008 Bruce Marlin

Grasshopper - Melanoplus alpinus - Female
Near Dotsero, Eagle County, Colorado, USA
September 6, 2008
Size: 25mm
Found at 6500 ft. in the Rockies.
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Contributed by Bruce Marlin on 21 September, 2008 - 9:43am
Last updated 19 December, 2009 - 7:47pm

and, I wasn't paying proper attention.
I moved it to the wrong species!

I was probably comparing at the time. M. alpinus is somewhat larger than M. infantilis (but still quite small), usually has a stronger back bar on the side of the pronotum, and the side of the hind femur is more evenly dark (often with one light diagonal dash) instead of with diagonal dark bars. The two are very closely related.

Moved from Little Spur-spurthroat Grasshopper.
… David J. Ferguson, 19 December, 2009 - 7:47pm login or register to post comments

I could be wrong,
but I'm fairly sure M. alpinus is the correct identification for this girl.

Moved from Melanoplus.
… David J. Ferguson, 20 November, 2009 - 12:02am login or register to post comments

Thanks
Thanks, David. Hoppers are much more fun out west for some reason.
… Bruce Marlin, 22 September, 2008 - 6:44am login or register to post comments

Melanoplus species
Hi, it is a female Melanoplus; however, I'll have to do some comparing to see if I can get it to species (there are a few in that area that look sort of like this). Males are easier - if the end of the abdomen is shown clearly (better from a few angles). What would help with males and females is also a few additional angles, a view of the inside of the hind legs, etc. So, no guarentees on getting it to species.

If you get some shots of a matching male, it could get a lot easier.
… David J. Ferguson, 22 September, 2008 - 1:09am login or register to post comments

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