Locust
Guides
Acrididae
Short-horned Grasshoppers, Grasshoppers
Acrididae is the largest family of grasshoppers, comprising approximately 6,700–10,000 species within the suborder Caelifera. Members are characterized by short, stout antennae and auditory tympana located on the first abdominal segment. The family includes all locust species capable of forming destructive swarms, making it economically significant worldwide. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies indicate the family originated in South America during the Paleocene, approximately 59 million years ago, rather than Africa as previously believed.
Agrilus egenus
Bronze-fronted Locust Agrilus
Agrilus egenus is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, first described by Gory in 1841. This species is found in North America, with confirmed records from Canada (Ontario, Québec) and the United States. It belongs to the large genus Agrilus, which contains numerous species associated with woody plants. The species has been collected from Robinia neomexicana (New Mexican locust) in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.
Anacridium
tree locusts, bird grasshoppers
Anacridium is a genus of large grasshoppers commonly known as tree locusts or bird grasshoppers, placed in the subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae. The genus contains approximately 13 described species distributed across Africa, the Middle East, and parts of southern Europe and Asia. Anacridium aegyptium, the Egyptian grasshopper, serves as the type species and is among the most studied members of the genus. Species in this genus are associated with woody vegetation and have been documented as occasional pests of trees and agricultural crops.
Caelifera
Grasshoppers, Locusts, and Allies, Short-horned Grasshoppers
Caelifera is a suborder of Orthoptera comprising approximately 12,000 described species across 2,400 genera, including grasshoppers, ground-hoppers (Tetrigoidea), and pygmy mole crickets (Tridactyloidea). The group is distinguished from the other orthopteran suborder Ensifera by short antennae, enlarged hind legs adapted for jumping, and a stout, chisel-like ovipositor (the source of its Latin name meaning 'chisel-bearing'). Caelifera represents one of the oldest lineages of chewing herbivorous insects, with fossil records extending to the latest Permian. The suborder is divided into two infraorders: Tridactylidea (pygmy mole crickets and extinct relatives) and Acrididea (grasshoppers and ground-hoppers).
Cyrtacanthacridinae
Bird Grasshoppers, bird locusts, criquets voyageurs, Knarrschrecken
Cyrtacanthacridinae is a subfamily of short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae) commonly known as bird grasshoppers or bird locusts. The subfamily includes some of the world's most economically important locust species, including the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) and the red locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata), which undergo density-dependent phase polyphenism. Members are characterized by a prominent peg or tubercle between the forelegs. The subfamily has a worldwide distribution concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions.
Dissosteira longipennis
High Plains Locust, High Plains Grasshopper
Dissosteira longipennis is a large band-winged grasshopper native to the shortgrass prairie of western North America. During the 1930s, it formed massive swarms causing extensive crop and rangeland damage, but has not swarmed since and is now considered very rare. It is one of two North American locust species, the other being the extinct Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus). The species persists in small, localized populations in favorable habitats.
Hippiscini
band-winged grasshoppers
Hippiscini is a tribe of band-winged grasshoppers within the subfamily Oedipodinae and family Acrididae. Members are characterized by their distinctive banded or patterned wings, which are often brightly colored and visible during flight. The tribe has a worldwide distribution, with many species inhabiting xeric, open habitats including grasslands, prairies, and weedy fields. Some species within this group have historically been considered important locust pests due to their potential for population outbreaks and gregarious behavior.
Leptoglossus
leaf-footed bugs
Leptoglossus is a genus of true bugs in the leaf-footed bug family Coreidae, tribe Anisoscelini. Species are characterized by leaflike dilations of the hind tibia, a diagnostic trait of the genus. The genus is distributed throughout the Americas, with some introduced populations in Europe and Asia. Several species are economically significant agricultural pests, notably L. occidentalis, which has become invasive in multiple continents.
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nchanmoss-bugarchaeorrhynchanfulgoromorphancicadomorphanmembracoidtreehopperleafhopperplanthopperpsyllidjumping-plant-lousewhiteflyaleyrodidscale-insectcoccoidmealybugaphidadelgidphylloxeransternorrhynchanthysanopteranthripspsocopteranbarklousebooklousephthirapteranlousesucking-lousechewing-lousemallophagananoplurandermapteranearwigblattodeancockroachtermiteisopteranmantodeanmantidphasmidstick-insectleaf-insectorthopterangrasshopperlocustkatydidcricketmole-cricketpygmy-mole-cricketcamel-cricketcave-cricketwetaensiferancaeliferangryllotalpidmyrmecophilidtettigoniidgryllidacrididpamphagidpneumoridlentulidtristirideumastacidproscopiidtridactylidtetrigidgrouse-locustpygmy-grasshopperplecopteranstoneflyembiopteranwebspinnerzorapteranangel-insectdictyopteranMelanoplus
North American Spur-throated Grasshoppers
Melanoplus is a large genus of grasshoppers native to North America, containing some of the continent's most typical large grasshoppers and migratory locusts. The genus includes over 250 species, with new species frequently described from isolated areas where speciation by hybridization occurs. Several species are significant agricultural pests, most notably the extinct Rocky Mountain locust (M. spretus), which was the most destructive insect pest of the 19th-century Great Plains before its extinction in 1902. Members range from intricately patterned and colorful to drab in appearance, with body lengths varying from small to nearly 5 cm in the largest species.
Melanoplus spretus
Rocky Mountain Locust
Melanoplus spretus, the Rocky Mountain Locust, was a species of locust that ranged through the western United States and parts of Canada until the late 19th century. It was one of the most destructive agricultural pests in North American history, forming swarms of unprecedented size—one 1875 swarm was estimated at 198,000 square miles. The species is now extinct, last observed in the early 1900s. It is considered by some authorities to represent a gregarious, migratory phase of Melanoplus sanguinipes rather than a distinct species.
Oedipodinae
Bandwing Grasshoppers, band-winged grasshoppers
Oedipodinae, commonly known as bandwing grasshoppers, is a subfamily of grasshoppers within the family Acrididae. Members are characterized by colorful, often banded hindwings that are typically concealed at rest but revealed during flight. The subfamily has a worldwide distribution and includes many species adapted to xeric and open habitats. Some Oedipodinae species are among the most economically important locusts, capable of forming dense migratory swarms that cause extensive agricultural damage.
Rhammatocerus
Rhammatocerus is a genus of grasshoppers in the family Acrididae, subfamily Gomphocerinae, and tribe Scyllinini. The genus comprises approximately 16 described species distributed across South America and the Caribbean. One notable species, R. schistocercoides, is known as the "Mato Grosso locust" and has been documented as an agricultural pest. The genus has been included in molecular phylogenetic studies of Acrididae, contributing to understanding of grasshopper evolutionary relationships.
Schistocerca
bird grasshoppers, bird locusts
Schistocerca is a genus of large grasshoppers commonly known as bird grasshoppers, with approximately 50 described species. The genus is notable for containing several species capable of forming destructive locust swarms, most famously the desert locust (S. gregaria), the only Old World representative. Most species occur in the New World, with ten species documented in North America. The genus exhibits phenotypic plasticity, with some species developing migratory morphs under crowded conditions.
Schistocerca shoshone
green bird grasshopper, green valley grasshopper
Schistocerca shoshone is a large grasshopper in the bird grasshopper group, recognized by its green coloration. The species exhibits notable dietary plasticity: while fundamentally polyphagous, populations have been observed specializing on single host plants including Simmondsia and Prosopis when these dominate local vegetation. Genetic differences between populations may underlie this feeding behavior variation. It ranges across southwestern North America and has been documented as far north as Colorado.
Sciota subcaesiella
Locust Leafroller Moth
Sciota subcaesiella, commonly known as the locust leafroller moth, is a species of pyralid moth found across eastern and central North America. The larvae feed on various Robinia species, particularly black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and related locust trees. The species is recognized as a leafroller, with larvae that roll or fold leaves to create sheltered feeding sites.