Gomphocerinae

Gomphocerinae can be distinguished from other acridid subfamilies by the slanted facial profile (face strongly oblique in lateral view), contrasting with the more vertical face of Melanoplinae and Oedipodinae. The uniformly located femoral stridulatory pegs on the inner surface of the hind femora provide a definitive diagnostic feature. Lateral foveolae on the head are typically visible from above, often oblong in shape. The pronotum lacks the posterior extension seen in some Oedipodinae. Male genitalia and calling song characteristics are frequently required for species-level identification within the subfamily.

Members of Gomphocerinae are characterized by a strongly slanted or oblique face, with the fastigium of the vertex typically projecting forward. The antennae are filiform (thread-like), often flattened, and frequently thickened or darkened distally. The pronotum typically bears distinct lateral carinae and a median carina that may be cut once behind the middle of the disk. Hind femora are enlarged for jumping, with the medial area often unbanded or uniformly colored. The stridulatory apparatus consists of a femoro-tegminal mechanism located uniformly on the inner surface of the hind femora, with corresponding scrapers on the tegmina. Body size ranges from small to medium among grasshoppers, with coloration typically green, tan, brown, or fuscous, often with yellow or pale undersides.

Gomphocerinae species occupy diverse environments including grasslands, meadows, pastures, hayfields, swales, roadsides, mountain meadows, marshes, and riparian edges. They occur in swamp, desert, tundra, and tropical rainforest biomes. In montane regions, some species inhabit moist areas dominated by sedges or rushes up to 11,000 feet elevation. Fine-scale microhabitat partitioning has been documented among sympatric species, with some species showing narrow ecological tolerance (stenoecious) while others are broadly tolerant (euryecious).

Cosmopolitan distribution excluding Antarctica and Australia. Major radiations occur in the Palearctic, Nearctic, Africa, mainland Asia, and the Americas. Tribes show distinct regional affinities: Arcypterini in Africa, Palearctic, and mainland Asia; Acrolophitini and Aulocarini in the Nearctic; Chrysochraontini in Nearctic and Palearctic; Scyllinini in Central and South America; Stenobothrini in the Palearctic.

Most temperate species exhibit univoltine life cycles with eggs diapausing through winter and hatching in late spring. Nymphal development typically spans 30-40 days under favorable temperatures. Adults are present from mid-summer through autumn. Some montane populations may require two to three years for egg development before hatching. Activity is diurnal, with peak activity occurring when temperatures rise above threshold levels.

Primarily herbivorous, feeding on grasses (Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae). Specific dietary composition varies with available vegetation; documented food plants include Idaho fescue, western needlegrass, elk sedge, Kentucky bluegrass, little bluestem, and big bluestem. Some species climb vegetation and feed on leaf edges while clinging head-down. Small amounts of forbs, pollen, fungi, and arthropod parts may occur in crop contents but represent incidental ingestion rather than targeted feeding.

Hemimetabolous development with egg, nymph, and adult stages. Eggs are deposited in soil within froth-lined pods, typically oriented vertically or near-vertically. Egg pods are often bottle-shaped, 14-16 mm long. Most species have four nymphal instars, though five instars occur in some populations. Overwintering occurs as diapausing eggs. Generation time is typically one year in plains habitats, though extended development occurs in some montane populations.

Acoustic communication is highly developed, with males producing species-specific calling songs to attract females. Stridulation involves raising hind femora and pressing them against the tegmina. Courtship includes distinct stationary, advancing, and mounting songs. Receptive females may produce soft answering songs. Evasive behavior includes jumping and dodging behind vegetation; some species drop to the ground and crawl under cover. Some species exhibit flight dimorphism, with macropterous individuals capable of dispersal flights while brachypterous individuals are flightless or have limited flight capability.

Primary consumers in grassland and meadow ecosystems, converting plant biomass to animal tissue and serving as prey for vertebrate and invertebrate predators. Contribute to nutrient cycling through herbivory and deposition of frass. Assemblage members collectively influence plant community composition and productivity. Some species reach densities sufficient to compete with livestock for forage, though individual species rarely cause severe damage alone.

Several species are significant agricultural and rangeland pests, including Aulocara elliotti (big-headed grasshopper) and Chorthippus species. Damage occurs through consumption of forage grasses, reducing livestock carrying capacity. Some species are targets of integrated pest management programs using biological control agents (Nosema locustae), chemical insecticides, and cultural practices. Attractant formulations such as canola oil have been developed to enhance control efficacy. The subfamily has been extensively studied for acoustic communication evolution and speciation mechanisms.

• MelanoplinaeBoth are acridid subfamilies with similar body plans, but Melanoplinae have a vertical or only slightly slanted face, rounded fastigium, and lack the uniform femoral stridulatory peg arrangement of Gomphocerinae.
• OedipodinaeBoth occur in similar grassland habitats and share general acridid morphology, but Oedipodinae typically have banded wings, a more vertical face, and often possess an extended pronotal posterior margin; their stridulatory apparatus differs in structure and location.
• AcridinaeHistorically confused with Gomphocerinae; modern classification distinguishes them by differences in male genitalia structure and details of the stridulatory apparatus.

• grasshopper
• slant-faced
• acoustic communication
• stridulation
• grassland
• herbivore
• pest
• rangeland

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Field Guide Selected References
• List of Species Fact Sheets| Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West
• Meadow Grasshopper
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Mikrohabitatanalyse von drei Feldheuschreckenarten auf Niedermoorwiesen (Acrid idae: Gomphocerinae)
• Evolution of acoustic communication in the Gomphocerinae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acrididae)
• Communicative aspects of reproductive behaviour in Australian grasshoppers (Oedipodinae and Gomphocerinae)
• Communicative Behavior of the Grasshopper Syrbula fuscovittata (Thomas) (Gomphocerinae) with Particular Consideration of the male Courtship1
• The Morphological and Behavioral Analysis of Geographically Separated Rammeihippus turcicus (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) Populations: Data Result in Taxonomical Conflict
• An „underrated“ Habitats Directive species: Population status of Stenobothrus eurasius Zubovski, 1898 in the Hainburg Hills, Lower Austria (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae)
• Behavioral sterility of hybrid males in acoustically communicating grasshoppers (Acrididae, Gomphocerinae)
• Perbandingan Ekologi Dan Peran Penting Belalang Gomphocerinae Dan Kumbang Ladybugs Dalam Pertanian Berkelanjutan
• A new species of aposematic grasshopper of the genus Pseudoutanacris (Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) from the Andean cloud forest of the Ecuadorian Amazon basin.
• Differential gene expression in Chorthippus parallelus (Zetterstedt, 1821) (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) induced by Wolbachia infection.