Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Orthoptera) » Grasshoppers (Caelifera) » Short-horned Grasshoppers (Acrididae) » Spur-throated Grasshoppers (Melanoplinae) » Melanoplini » Melanoplus » Northern Spur-throat Grasshopper (Melanoplus borealis)
Photo#821389
Northern Spur-throat Grasshopper male in Fundy National Park - Melanoplus borealis - male
Copyright © 2013 Denis A. Doucet

Northern Spur-throat Grasshopper male in Fundy National Park - Melanoplus borealis - Male
Near HQ, Fundy National Park, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada
June 20, 2013
As per the literature and visible identifying features such as the cerci, length of tegmina, the absence of banding on the femora and the shape of the subgenital plate, I would say this is a "classic male" of the species. I found this image buried in stuff I took earlier in the summer, before I was paying closer attention to features, thinking I was photographing yet another Melanoplus femurrubrum.

Images of this individual: tag all
Northern Spur-throat Grasshopper male in Fundy National Park - Melanoplus borealis - male Northern Spur-throat Grasshopper male in Fundy National Park - Melanoplus borealis - male
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Denis A. Doucet on 10 August, 2013 - 5:35am
Last updated 13 September, 2013 - 4:13am

This one bothers me some
It looks a lot like M. femurrubrum, but the cerci are an odd shape for that species. The subgenital plant looks more like that of M. femurrubrum than M. borealis, but just a bit "off" (and it varies a lot in M. borealis). I've wondered for a long time if M. borealis and M. femurrubrum might exchange genes on accasion - not enough to be one species, but enough to confuse us a little as to which is which. Mostly they are easy if you have a male, but this one is funny looking (or, maybe I haven't seen enough M. borealis yet?).
… David J. Ferguson, 11 September, 2013 - 8:28pm login or register to post comments

 
I have added an image...
I don't know if this helps at all, but do compare with and perhaps the angle of view is different enough to help with shape perception? Also, the individuals I mostly saw at this site had considerably shorter wings than what I am used to seeing in Melanoplus femurrubrum. Moreover, when I look at the illustrations of the cerci in Vickery and Kevan (1985), the shape of the cerci do indeed fit better for borealis than femurrubrum for this specimen, but it is not a perfect fit. As for the subgenital plate, I wish I had an angle which showed that better.
… Denis A. Doucet, 12 September, 2013 - 6:13pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact