Grasshoppers are a diverse group of insects known for their jumping abilities and distinctive sounds. There are more than 11,000 different types of grasshoppers in the Acrididae family – short-horned grasshoppers. But in this article, we just explore 12 popular kinds of them. Let’s find out together!
To learn more about the amazing life cycle of short-horned grasshoppers, you can read our article here.
Table of Contents
Rainbow grasshopper (Dactylotum bicolor)
The first type of grasshopper on our list is the rainbow grasshopper or barber pole grasshopper. This little guy stands out with its vibrant colors, sporting shades of red, yellow, blue, green, and black. These colors are used to warn and deter predators. But don’t let its flashy appearance fool you – despite its striking looks, this grasshopper isn’t venomous or poisonous. This small but conspicuous creature typically measures around 1.5 inches in length.
It is primarily found in the grasslands and prairies of North America, ranging from central Canada through to the United States, extending into northern Mexico. The rainbow grasshopper prefers dry to semi-dry places, where it can soak up the sun on sandy soils.
Common green grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)
The common green grasshopper is a striking insect known for its vibrant green coloration. Its color palette extends from bright to olive green, often with brownish or yellowish tinges, which aids in camouflage among grasses and plants. Typically, this species boasts a slender body, ranging in length from 15 to 21 mm, with males slightly shorter than females.
This type of grasshopper lives in regions around Europe. It can be found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, meadows, and edges of forests, preferring areas with long grass.
Lubber grasshopper (Romalea)
The Lubber grasshopper is a notable group within the grasshopper family that includes species such as the eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera), giant red-winged grasshopper (Tropidacris cristata), or western horse lubber grasshopper (Taeniopoda eques).
These grasshoppers are distinguished by their robust size and vibrant colors.
– Eastern lubber grasshopper is called different names, such as graveyard grasshopper, Florida lubber grasshopper, devil’s horse, or Georgia Thumper. It is a black grasshopper with red or yellow stripes. Their forewings can be pink or rose-centered, while the hind wings are entirely rose-colored. In northern Florida, you might spot ones with mostly black coloring.
– Western horse lubber grasshopper: The body is shiny black, with yellow bands and marks. The underside of the hind wings is red.
– Giant red-winged grasshopper: Heads might be rust-colored with black and white spots around the “collar.” The wings are typically marked with black and olive green color.
Native to the Southeastern and South-central United States, the Lubber grasshopper is often seen in large numbers and can cause significant damage to vegetation.
Giant grasshopper (Valanga irregularis)
The giant grasshopper is one of the biggest short-horned grasshopper in the world. Adults can grow up to 90mm long and are creamy brown to grey in color with variable markings. These species are native to tropical and subtropical Australia and found throughout the country from Sydney northward.
Japanese grasshopper (Oxya japonica)
The Japanese grasshopper thrives in a variety of habitats across Japan and other parts of East Asia, predominantly favoring lush, green areas such as grasslands, agricultural fields, and the edges of forests.
This creature has a brown back and greenish color, with wings being longer than its legs. This species has a size of about 17 to 45 millimeters in length.
Spur-throated grasshoppers (Melanoplus)
The next type of grasshopper is the spur-throated grasshopper Melanoplus. This genus encompasses a diverse group of grasshopper species prevalent throughout North America, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They live in various places, including open areas, disturbed spots, grasslands on mountains, and places with lots of trees.
These grasshoppers are notable for their varied sizes and colors. The spur-throated grasshopper’s genus includes many types of grasshopper, such as:
– Migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes) is a significant agricultural pest known for its ability to form large swarms and cause extensive damage to crops. It’s on the list of locust species. Adults are brownish to yellowish with dark bands near their eyes. When newly hatched, they have black bands on their thorax tops, which move to the sides as they grow.
– Differential grasshoppers (Melanoplus differentials) are shiny brownish-yellow, but females can be nearly black in some regions. They have a herringbone pattern on their faces and yellow hind femora with black markings.
– Red-legged grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum) comes in different colors, mainly reddish-brown on its back, greenish-yellow on its belly, and red on its hind legs. Some grasshoppers may have dark brown or blue colors alongside the usual ones.
– Two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) is one of the largest grasshopper species in the Melanoplus genus, along with the differential grasshopper. It has a light brown body with greenish tones on its head and two yellow stripes along its length. Its hind legs sport a distinct black stripe, and its hind tibia can be bluish-green, blue, or red with black spines.
– Rocky mountain grasshopper (Melanoplus spretus) used to live in hot and dry places. It liked to breed in sandy areas and relied on tall grass prairie plants when it didn’t rain much. This kind of grasshopper doesn’t exist anymore.
Other species include Nevada sage grasshopper (Melanoplus rugglesi), Dawson’s grasshopper (Melanoplus dawsoni) and huckleberry grasshopper (Melanoplus fasciatus) found in Colorado, etc.
American Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)
The American bird grasshopper is a notable species known for its large size, reaching up to 9.5 cm long, and its unique appearance. It usually has a mix of green and brown colors, with fully grown adults sporting wings adorned with big dark brown spots on a lighter backdrop.
This type of grasshopper is native to North America and is widespread in regions like Mexico, Florida, and the Bahamas. You can spot them in various habitats including savannas, open fields, and forests.
The American Bird Grasshopper usually doesn’t gather in huge swarms like the desert locusts. However, when they grow up in crowded areas, they tend to become brighter in color and more social than those who grow up with more space.
Meadow grasshopper (Pseudochorthippus parallelus)
The Meadow grasshopper gets its name from the bars on the back of its neck that run parallel to each other. These bars, known as pronotal side-keels, are a distinctive feature of this species. The grasshoppers come in different colors like green, purple-red, brownish, and pink, but green ones are the most common. They have a slim body shape. The males can grow up to about 14 mm long, while the females are a bit bigger, reaching up to 20 mm in length.
These animals are often found in grasslands that are not too dry across Europe and some parts of Asia. They prefer living in areas with lots of plants, like river valleys and higher elevations.
Slant-faced grasshopper (Gomphocerinae)
The subfamily Gomphocerinae, commonly known as slant-faced grasshoppers, belongs to the family Acrididae and is distinguished by its members’ unique facial structures. These grasshoppers are characterized by their distinctively slanted faces, pointed heads, and mostly clear wings.
These grasshoppers are commonly known as Stridulating Slant-faced Grasshoppers or Tooth-legged Grasshoppers because the males have a row of pegs on the inside of their legs.
You can find members of the Gomphocerinae family on almost every continent except Antarctica and Australia. They usually hang out in sunny spots with short grass, like prairies, grazed areas, and places that are mowed regularly.
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus) is a species of this group. Its main color is brown, but it can come in different colors like green, black, white, or purple. Its wing patterns also differ; some have spots, others have stripes, a mix of both, or no patterns at all.
It’s found in North Africa, Europe, and parts of temperate Asia. It likes living in dry places, especially heathlands where the grass is short, around 100 to 200 millimeters tall, and there are fine-leaved grass species.
Silent slant-faced grasshopper (Acridinae)
The silent slant-faced grasshopper is a group of insects within the family Acrididae and the order Orthoptera. These grasshoppers are characterized by their distinctive look similar to stick insects. They own slanted faces and lack sound-producing capabilities, which sets them apart from the slant-faced grasshopper Gomphocerinae.
Acridinae species have flat and sword-like antennae. Unlike spur-throated grasshoppers and lubber grasshoppers, they don’t have a posternal spine.
The Acridinae subfamily includes different tribes, such as Acridini, Calephorini, and Gymnobothrini. These tribes consist of various genera like Acrida, Acridarachnea, Calephorus, and Gymnobothrus.
Silent slant-faced grasshoppers can be found in many different places globally, like grasslands, meadows, and forests. They munch on different plants for food. These grasshoppers live all over the world, including Africa, Australasia, Indo-China, the Old World, Europe, and North America. Fortunately, they don’t cause much harm to plants.
Chinese grasshopper or oriental longheaded grasshopper/locust (Acrida cinerea) belongs to this group. can be spotted all across China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia. Its body measures 2 to 3 inches in length and has green or brown colors with clear hind wings. Plus, it’s got these long legs that help it jump really far and even fly for a while.
Band-winged grasshoppers (Oedipodinae)
The Band-winged grasshopper is a subfamily of grasshoppers classified under the family Acrididae. They are known for producing a crackling noise during flight and have striking patterns and colors on their wings, which often display bands or patches of vivid colors that are revealed when threatened to warn predators.
– Pallid-winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis) is easily identifiable by its long wings with a yellow base and a narrow black band across the middle, along with a yellowish hind tibia. They have strong flying skills and are often drawn to city lights. You can spot them in southwestern Canada, the deserts of the western United States, and even in Mexico.
– Painted meadow grasshopper or painted grasshopper (Chimarocephala pacifica) is green and brown. Some individuals have vivid colors of pink and green. They live in South and Central America.
– Great crested grasshopper (Tropidolophus formosus) is green. It has a crested head and a robust body and comes from North America.
– Long-legged bandwing (Heteropternis obscurella) is known for its distinctive long hind legs. It is native to Southeast Asia, but it has also been observed in Australia.
– Pale clouded grasshopper (Encoptolophus pallidus) inhabits North America and has a pale coloration.
– Mendocino green-striped grasshopper (Chortophaga mendocino) boasts distinctive green stripes. It also lives in North America.
These species live in many habitats, from grasslands, marshes, lakes, and meadows to sandy areas.
Locust
The locust is also a type of grasshopper. They are found all over the world and gather in large groups that move across areas, eating crops and causing significant harm to agriculture. Here are some of them:
– Carolina locust (Dissosteira carolina) also known as the black-winged grasshopper, Carolina grasshopper, or quaker, is a common sight throughout North America. It’s easily recognizable by its rough, greenish-brown exterior with dark speckles along its wings. These locusts typically measure between 30 to 60 millimeters in length.
– Egyptian locust (Anacridium aegyptium) sports a body that can be gray, brown, or olive-colored. It has short, robust antennae, blue tibiae on its hind legs, and orange femora with distinct dark marks. Their eyes stand out with vertical black and white stripes. These species are found in Europe, North and South Africa.
– Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is mainly found in the deserts and dry areas of northern and eastern Africa, Arabia, and southwest Asia. They have a distinct appearance with a long body, typically yellow or brown, and large wings that span the length of their body. Their heads and bodies are yellow, while their wings have brown dots and large eyes.
– Australian plague locusts (Chortoicetes terminifera) measure between 24 to 40 millimeters in length and come in various colors ranging from light to dark shades of green and brown. A distinguishing feature of these locusts is a dark blotch at the outer edge of the hind wing, and their hind legs sport a red color on the inside. The insects are found all across Australia.
Here are 12 types of grasshoppers. From the vibrant colors of the Rainbow Grasshopper to the robust look of the Locust, each species showcases unique appearances and adaptations that allow them to thrive in their respective habitats.
