Rocky Mountain Locust - Melanoplus spretus - BugGuide.Net

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Photo#264120

Copyright © 2009 Michael Skvarla

Rocky Mountain Locust - Melanoplus spretus -

West Point, Cuming County, Nebraska, USA

From the Purdue Entomological Research Collection. There is no date on the specimen, but it's safe to say it's no older than 1902. I had to take two photos with the microscope camera and put them together, hense the obvious line down the middle. I'll try and get another camera and take a better picture, along with a dorsal view, soon.

Contributed by Michael Skvarla on 7 April, 2009 - 10:00am
Last updated 24 April, 2009 - 1:58pm

It's great to see

this posted here. It is a great reference for a species that is difficult to find photographs of.

… David J. Ferguson, 22 April, 2009 - 9:36pm

Grasshoppers of Nebraska

I have a male and female specimen on page 75 of this field guide I wrote some years ago.
https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/eb3.pdf
I photographed the specimens from a collection that I am keeping a secret (for obvious reasons), but it does contain a fair series.

… Mathew L. Brust, 23 April, 2021 - 12:29pm

Yes, great!

Wow, great to see an image of this significant insect. (It is amazing that there are so few specimens extant of a species that numbered in the trillions.)

Anyone know the sex of this specimen? It should be fairly clear from the structure of the tip of the abdomen, but I'm not sure here. It would be nice to see a detail of that area if future photos are made.

Again, thanks.

… Cotinis, 23 April, 2009 - 8:27pm

It's a boy

:)

… David J. Ferguson, 24 April, 2009 - 1:58pm

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