Melanoplus bivittatus

Adults distinguished by the paired yellow dorsal stripes and large size. Male cerci are diagnostic: short, broad, boot-shaped. Nymphs identifiable by: compound eye brown with many light tan spots and no dark bands; front of head tan or green with dark spots; pronotum with light horizontal stripe at top of lateral lobe, above which is a fuscous or brown band at edge of pronotal disk; gena tan or green and spotted, without light crescent below compound eye; hind femur with black stripe entire, not interrupted by pale band, filling upper medial area except at proximal end; hind tibia green or buff with black-tipped spines. Differs from Melanoplus differentialis (differential grasshopper, the other largest Melanoplus species) in stripe pattern and cercus shape. Differs from Melanoplus femurrubrum (red-legged grasshopper) by yellow rather than red hind tibiae and distinct dorsal stripes.

Large, robust grasshopper with body length 30–55 mm (females 29–40 mm, males 23–29 mm). Coloration dull olive to greenish-yellow dorsally, pale yellow to dull greenish-yellow ventrally. Two prominent pale yellow stripes run from above the compound eyes along the pronotum to the hind tips of the tegmina, converging posteriorly to form a triangle. Face yellow or olive-green; top of head and pronotum dark olive-brown. Hind femora dull yellow with dark longitudinal band on outer face; hind tibiae variable (reddish, blue, or yellow) with black spines. Tegmina usually unspotted, occasionally with few dark central spots, reaching or slightly surpassing hind femora. Wings colorless. Male cerci very short, large, broad, and boot-shaped. Furculae short, triangular, widely separated.

Occupies tall, lush, herbaceous vegetation including tallgrass prairie, wet meadows, roadsides, ditch banks, crop borders, and field margins. Shows preference for rank, succulent vegetation in bottomlands, stream edges, marshes, and irrigated valleys. South-facing ditch banks and compact drift soil at field margins provide favored oviposition sites. Also found in disturbed habitats, abandoned cultivated land, and suburban areas.

Widespread across North America from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, absent from the Atlantic seaboard. Abundant on the Canadian prairies. Found throughout most of the United States, including Colorado, Wyoming, the Great Plains, and Midwest. In mountainous regions of British Columbia above 3,000 feet and Rocky Mountain meadows, some populations exhibit two-year life cycles.

Early-hatching species. Eggs hatch from late April to early May in southern regions, June in northern Colorado; hatching may continue for 4–6 weeks with multiple bursts following rain and warm temperatures. Nymphs present from May through September (up to 75 days due to extended hatching period). Adults emerge in early summer, typically June in Kansas, August through October in northern Colorado. Oviposition occurs from mid-August to mid-October when air temperature exceeds 70°F.

Polyphagous mixed-feeder consuming both grasses and forbs, with preference for forbs. Preferred host plants include mustards (Brassicaceae), plantains, legumes (alfalfa, red clover), and composites (dandelion, chicory, ragweed, sunflower). Also consumes small grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye), corn, lentil crops, and various vegetables. Requires dietary linoleic acid or unsaturated fatty acids to prevent wing crumpling. Mixed diets are more nutritious than single-plant diets. Cannibalism observed during food shortages. Feeding ceases below 25°C due to reduced fecal production.

• Brassicaceae (mustards) - preferred hostball mustard, flixweed, pepperweed
• Plantago (plantains) - preferred hostbroadleaf plantain
• Fabaceae (legumes) - preferred hostalfalfa, red clover, vetch
• Asteraceae (composites) - preferred hostdandelion, chicory, prickly lettuce, giant ragweed, arrowleaf butterbur, western ragweed, prairie sunflower
• Poaceae (grasses) - consumed but less preferredwheat, barley, oats, rye, sand dropseed, needleleaf sedge
• Zea mays (corn) - pest hostdefoliates crop; attacks reproductive parts
• Lens culinaris (lentil) - pest hostcrop pest
• Various vegetables - pest hostcabbage, beets, potatoes, onions

Univoltine with one-year life cycle in most populations; two-year cycle in high-altitude mountain populations (above 3,000 ft in British Columbia, Rocky Mountain meadows). Eggs deposited in soil pods (50–108 eggs per pod, arranged in columns of four) from mid-August to mid-October. Embryonic development reaches 60–80% before winter diapause. Eggs hatch after 21 days of development at 25°C, then enter diapause; hatching resumes when soil temperatures rise in spring. Nymphs pass through five instars over approximately 40 days. Preoviposition period of one to two weeks in females. Females produce 1–2 egg pods; fecundity averages 450 eggs per female under optimal conditions (radish diet), though natural averages unknown.

Diurnal, with activity during daylight hours when warm and skies clear. Evening behavior involves climbing vegetation to rest overnight at mid-to-upper heights, descending after sunrise to sun, feed, and migrate. Exhibits density-dependent migratory behavior: at high densities, nymphs form bands and march from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. when temperatures exceed 75°F; adults fly when temperatures reach 86–90°F, traveling 600–1,400 ft above ground with wind. High-density individuals develop longer wings and slimmer bodies (phase polyphenism). Males approach females stealthily for copulation, performing hind femur shaking courtship ritual during mounting. Copulation lasts up to 10 hours with continuous spermatophore transfer; females remate within 4–21 days and consume spermatophores for nutritional benefit. Nymphal learning ability develops progressively: no learning in second instar, positional cue use in third instar, light-related cue use in fourth and fifth instars.

Primary consumer and major herbivore in grassland and agricultural ecosystems. Mixed-feeding strategy influences plant community composition through selective herbivory on forbs. Serves as prey for various vertebrate and invertebrate predators. Population irruptions can dramatically alter vegetation structure and crop productivity. Contributes to nutrient cycling through consumption and excretion. Density-dependent migration facilitates gene flow and colonization of new habitats.

Major agricultural pest, considered the most widely distributed, abundant, and injurious grasshopper in Colorado and the Canadian prairies. Causes significant damage to small grains, alfalfa, corn, and garden vegetables. Attacks reproductive parts of plants (flowers, pods, sepals), severely reducing regeneration potential. Population density of 10 adults per square yard can defoliate corn; wastes six times as much wheat foliage as consumed. Common urban pest of flowers and vegetables. Outbreaks historically devastating: 1931–1932 outbreak in North and South Dakota destroyed alfalfa, grains, corn, vegetables, and trees. Subject to integrated pest management and reduced agent and area treatments (RAATs).

• Melanoplus differentialis (differential grasshopper)Other largest Melanoplus species, often sympatric; differs in chevron markings on pronotum rather than continuous stripes, and male cercus shape
• Melanoplus femurrubrum (red-legged grasshopper)Similar size and habitat; differs in red hind tibiae, less prominent dorsal stripes, and similar but distinct mating behavior with nuptial gifts
• Melanoplus sanguinipes (migratory grasshopper)Similar early-hatching phenology; differs in smaller size, less robust build, and different stripe pattern

• grasshopper
• pest
• agriculture
• mixed-feeder
• migration
• North America
• prairie
• polyphagous

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Twostriped Grasshopper
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Species Records and Accounts
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Changes in learning ability and mechanism during development of grasshopper nymphs, Melanoplus bivittatus
• FEEDING HABITS AND FOOD PREFERENCES OF MELANOPLUS BIVITTATUS AND M. FEMURRUBRUM (ORTHOPTERA: ACRIDIDAE)
• Host‐plant quality alters grass/forb consumption by a mixed‐feeding insect herbivore, Melanoplus bivittatus (Orthoptera: Acrididae)
• Humidity Reactions ofMelanoplus bivittatus(Say) andCamnula pellucida(Scudd.) (Orthoptera, Acrididae): Reactions of Normal Grasshoppers
• Temperature Effects on Haemolymph Acid-Base Status in vivo and in vitro in the Two-Striped Grasshopper Melanoplus Bivittatus
• Consumption and utilization of various host plants by Melanoplus bivittatus (Say) and M. femurrubrum (DeGeer) (Orthoptera: Acrididae)
• THE INFLUENCE OF PLANT CHEMICALS ON THE FEEDING BEHAVIOR, DEVELOPMENT, AND SURVIVAL OF THE TWO-STRIPED GRASSHOPPER, MELANOPLUS BIVITTATUS (SAY), ACRIDIDAE: ORTHOPTERA
• THE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF GRASSHOPPERS: II. EFFECTS OF PLANT PHOSPHOLIPIDS AND EXTRACTS OF BRAN ON GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND SURVIVAL OF THE GRASSHOPPERS MELANOPLUS BIVITTATUS (SAY) AND CAMNULA PELLUCIDA (SCUDDER)