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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Orthoptera) » Grasshoppers (Caelifera) » Pygmy Grasshoppers (Tetrigidae) » Batrachideinae » Tettigidea » Black-sided Pygmy Grasshopper (Tettigidea lateralis)
Photo#231890
Grouse Locust - Tettigidea lateralis - female
Copyright © 2008 John F. Carr

Grouse Locust - Tettigidea lateralis - Female
Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
October 7, 2008
Size: 12 mm
Beside a trail through woods, near wetlands, in suburban Boston. Several insects and a spider were enjoying the patch of sunshine.

Edit: Title changed to Grouse Locust

Images of this individual: tag all
Grouse Locust - Tettigidea lateralis - female Grasshopper - Tettigidea lateralis - female
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Contributed by John F. Carr on 7 October, 2008 - 4:48pm
Last updated 28 December, 2011 - 11:03am

Have seen a lot more of these since this was posted.
Am moving it to T. lateralis, though it fits the description of T. acuta rather well. I'm not convinced that "T. acuta" is a species distinct from T. lateralis, and this specimen is from farther north than T. acuta has been reported (to my knowledge). It's still a bit tentative I'm afraid.

Moved from Tettigidea.
… David J. Ferguson, 8 April, 2010 - 6:53pm login or register to post comments

Tettigidea species
It is probably T. armata.
… David J. Ferguson, 7 October, 2008 - 5:42pm login or register to post comments

 
Two more shots
Given the genus I found the key to species at Blatchley(1) p. 181. I added two blurry shots (which I will frass later) which better show the angle of the front of the pronotum. To my eye, it does not look as angular or project as far forward as armata.
… John F. Carr, 7 October, 2008 - 6:28pm login or register to post comments

 
variable
I do know that the pronotal character is variable from individual to individual, but I am not personally familiar enough with this genus to recognize the species confidently at first sight. I think the photos will help. I'll dig out Hancock's and Rehn & Grants work and see what is there. I can't tell from Blatchley's keys, everything is too subjective. It clearly is not T. prorsa. There are a couple of other names to consider though, and I'm not even sure which is a synonym of which without doing some more digging. I've been meaning to start trying to sort through the Pygmies on BugGuide, maybe this'll get me going.

Here's another that seems to be the same:
… David J. Ferguson, 7 October, 2008 - 7:01pm login or register to post comments

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