Insect Identification

*** Note: KnowYourInsects.org does its best to include correct identifications of insect photos. It’s always possible that we made a mistake, however, so if you see a misidentification, please contact us and we will correct it. Thanks!

Order Orthoptera: grasshoppers, katydids and crickets — Examples

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Families represented — Page 2 (current page):

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Acrididae, the short-horned grasshoppers

Pallid-winged grasshopper, Trimerotropis pallidipennis, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ Pallid-winged grasshoppers may be brown or gray (as seen here). These grasshoppers are common inhabitants of deserts, as well as in urban areas, where they frequent overgrown and weedy bits of land, such as parking-lot islands and vacant plots.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’ full-size image here. Location: South San Francisco, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 9 August, 2023.

Pallid-winged grasshopper, Trimerotropis pallidipennis, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ The pallid-winged grasshopper looks very similar to the California rose-winged grasshopper (Dissosteira pictipennis), but the latter has a ridge running down the center of its pronotum (the shield covering the thorax).
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’ full-size image here. Location: South San Francisco, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 9 June, 2017.

Pallid-winged grasshopper, Trimerotropis pallidipennis, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ This action photo shows this pallid-winged grasshopper just as it is taking to flight, so its black-banded flight wing is visible. This species belongs to a subfamily collectively called the band-winged grasshoppers (subfamily Oedipodinae), and it not only has the wide, black band on its flight wings, but also bands on its tegmina (forewings).
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’ full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 22 April, 2022.

Pallid-winged grasshopper, Trimerotropis pallidipennis, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ The pallid-winged grasshopper is a very widely ranging species: from southwestern Canada through the western United States and all the way down to Argentina. To see a map of its distribution, click here (Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 912). Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’ full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 24 September, 2018.

Pallid-winged grasshopper, Trimerotropis pallidipennis, nymph, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ The nymph of a pallid-winged grasshopper has a pronotum (the shield covering the thorax) that is similar in shape to that of the adult, which is pictured elsewhere on this page.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’ full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 6 June, 2022.

Green-striped grasshopper (<i>Chortophaga viridifasciata</i>)

Green-striped grasshopper, Chortophaga viridifasciata, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ Green-striped grasshoppers may have an overall body color of green (as seen here) or may be brown. In both cases, however, the tegmina (forewings) are brown/beige with a green stripe along the forewing edge.
Photographed and identified by: Robert E. Carpenter. Nicely done, Robert! See Robert’s slow-motion insect videos here. Location: Kerrville, Texas, USA. Date: 31 March, 2017.
Rob says, “Hard to get a clear shot of this bashful boy.”

Carolina locust, also known as a Carolina grasshopper, Dissosteria carolina, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ The color of the Carolina locust is typically either brown or gray, but some have yellow or red hues.
Photographed by Amanda McCreless. Identified by: Sara Mitchell. Location: Lapeer County, Michigan, USA. Date: 23 July, 2010.

Carolina Locust (<i>Dissosteria carolina</i>)

Carolina locust, also known as a Carolina grasshopper, Dissosteria carolina, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ The photographer found this deceased Carolina locust with its tegmina (forewings) splayed. This gives an excellent look at the hindwings, something that is only seen in live specimens when they are flying. During flight, the much narrower tegmina move out of the way to allow the hindwings to fully fan out and provide the flight capability.
Photographed by: Diane Tesch. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Minnesota, USA. Date: 13 September, 2022.
Diane says, “I saw this inside the rear window of my car.” She carefully removed it to get this shot. Thank you, Diane!

Carolina locust, also known as a Carolina grasshopper, nymph, Dissosteria carolina, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ A feature of the Carolina locust is the ridge at the top of the pronotum (the shield covering the thorax). Although not visible in this photo, another feature is dark striping on the inside of the hind legs.
Photographed and identified to order by: Kim Stringer. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, Antrim County, Michigan, USA. Date: 25 July, 2019.
Kim says, “This one is about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) long.”

Dittopternis venusta (no specific common name), subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ Two key characteristics of Dittopternis venusta are shown in this photo: the inside of each hind leg has two black bands, and half of its hind-leg tibia (the “shin”) is bright blue.
Photographed and identified by: Dr. Kailash Chandra and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Zoological Survey of India Location: Chhattisgarh, India. Date: 9 July, 2011.

Click a photo to open it on a separate page

Painted meadow grasshopper, (Chimarocephala pacifica), nymph, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ This nymph has a flat back edge on its pronotum (the shield covering the thorax) and robust hind-leg femurs, so it appears to be a painted meadow grasshopper. To see the adult, click here (BugGuide).
Photographed and identified to subfamily by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’ full-size image here. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 6 June, 2022.

Great crested grasshopper, Tropidolophus formosus, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ The left photo of this great crested grasshopper gives a good view of the tall and wide crest extending upward, and the leopard-like spots on the tegmina (narrow forewings). The right photo shows the membranous bright-orange hindwings that are folded beneath the tegmina at rest, but speedily unfold for flight. (The right photo shows the grasshopper pinned as part of an insect collection.)
Photographed by: Norm L. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Penrose Colorado, USA. Date: 2 September, 2023.

A short-horned grasshopper in the genus Oedipoda, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ This was photographed in Greece, which is home to several short-horned grasshoppers in the genus Oedipoda that have banded tegmina (forewings) and femurs. Some are distinguished by the color of their hindwings, which are not visible in this photo.
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Greece. Date: 23 September, 2023.

Carinate locust, nymph, Trilophidia annulata, subfamily Oedipodinae, family Acrididae.
□ This nymph of a carinate locust has small hairs/setae on its body, legs, and even antennae. Another feature is a pair of knobs jutting up from the forward section of its thorax — one behind the other. To see the knobs more clearly, click here (Singapore Geographic website).
□ The dark markings on the top of each femur will become more triangular in shape when it becomes an adult, and it will also gain its wings.
Photographed and identified has a carpenter ant alate by: Eric Blehaut. Location: Bang Krang, Thailand. Date: 19 October, 2023.

The genus name Melanoplus is Greek for black-armored, apparently referring to the sturdy look and often dark coloration of the grasshoppers in this genus.

Two-striped grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ With the two prominent stripes running down its back, the two-striped grasshopper is well-named. It has two prominent stripes running down its back. Another feature of this grasshopper is the dark stripe through the center of the femur of each hind leg.
Photographed and identified to order by: Kim Stringer. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, Antrim County, Michigan, USA. Date: 24 July, 2019.

Red-legged grasshopper, Melanoplus femurrubrum, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ This red-legged grasshopper is one of the group known as short-horned grasshoppers. The term “short-horned” refers to their relatively short antennae.
Photographed by Amanda McCreless. Identified by: Sara Mitchell. Location: Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA. Date: 26 July, 2010.

Red-legged grasshopper, Melanoplus femurrubrum, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ The red on the hind leg is quite visible in this photo, which appears to be that of a red-legged grasshopper. Several species actually look quite alike, and one of the ways to distinguish them is by a close look at the rear end, so this identification remains a best guess.
Photographed and identified to family by: Celia Godwin. Location: eastern Ontario, Canada. Date: 23 August, 2016.

Differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ Note the distinctive chevron or herringbone markings on the hind-leg femur of this differential grasshopper. This feature has given it the alternate common name of herringbone grasshopper.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas' full-size image here. Location: South San Francisco, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 5 December, 2017.

Differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ Another feature of the differential grasshopper is the long grooves down the sides of its pronotum (the shield covering the thorax). As suggested by its name, its overall appearance varies greatly. Some, for instance, are almost completely black in color.
Photographed by: Kyle A. Lengerich. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Greenwood, Indiana, USA. Date: 2018.

Differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ Notice in this photo of a male differential grasshopper that all six of the legs and both wings are attached to the thorax — this is true for all insects.
Photographed by: Tori Thompson. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Wayne, Michigan, USA. Date: 22 September, 2019.
Tori says, “The amount of detail, beautiful armour-like plating and the sheer size of this guy is amazing.”

Differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ Besides the chevron or herringbone pattern on the outside of the hind legs of this differential grasshopper, it also has yellow tibiae (shins) on its hind legs.
Photographed and identified to order by: Patricia Speers. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Owosso, Michigan, USA. Date: 14 August, 2021.

Acridid grasshopper, probably migratory grasshopper, Melanoplus sanguinipes, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ The migratory grasshopper also goes by the common names of red-legged grasshopper and lesser grasshopper. It is very difficult to distiguish from several other species. An interesting feature, which cannot be seen in a static photo, is its migratory habit. Adults swarm on hot days, and can fly 10 miles (6 km) or more per hour, so about three dozen miles per day.
Photographed and identified to order by: Kim Stringer. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, Antrim County, Michigan, USA. Date: 24 July, 2019.

Pine Tree Spur-Throat Grasshopper, aka Grizzly Spur-Throat Grasshopper (Melanoplus punctulatus)

Pine tree spur-throat grasshopper, also known as a grizzly spur-throat grasshopper or grizzlied locust, Melanoplus punctulatus, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ Although the pine tree spur-throat grasshopper occurs over a large range extending through the eastern half of the United States and north into Canada, it is quite a rare grasshopper. In addition, little is known about its behavior or ecology.
□ One way to distinguish this species from similar-looking members of Melanoplus genus is to look for a red patch on the inside the femur on each hind leg, which is just visible on right hind leg in this excellent photograph.
Photographed and identified to family by: Sheryl Seyer. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northeastern Ohio, USA. Date: 14 September, 2018.

Pine tree spur-throat grasshopper, also known as a grizzly spur-throat grasshopper or grizzlied locust, nymph, Melanoplus punctulatus, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ This photo provides a nice side view of a nymph of a pine tree spur-throat grasshopper. The species name of punctulatus is a Latin word that means dots, and this grasshopper is definitely covered with little dots! □ Nymphs (immatures), as seen here, have short, nonfunctional wings. These are called wing buds. After the final molt, this nymph will become an adult with full-sized wings that are capable of flight.
Photographed and identified by: Christine Vrooman. Location: Amherst County, central Virginia, USA. Date: 7 July, 2019.
Christine took this photo at 1,800-feet elevation in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Spur-Throat Grasshopper (Melanoplus spp.)

Spur-throat grasshopper, nymph, in the genus Melanoplus, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ Although this is a very young nymph of a spur-throat grasshopper, the characteristic herringbone pattern on its hind femur is still evident.
Photographed by: Tori Thompson. Location: southeastern Michigan, USA. Date: 8 July, 2021.
Tori says, “OMG, he’s so cute! He has little fairy wings!”

Olive green swamp grasshopper, Paroxya clavuliger, subfamily Melanoplinae, family Acrididae.
□ This olive green swamp grasshopper may be missing a hind leg, but the bold black stripe is enough to identify it. This one is quite green, but some individuals are more of a light olive to tan color, or even brown.
Photographed and identified to order by: Marv Goldberg. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 13 May, 2020.

Rice grasshopper, Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus, subfamily Hemiacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ The dark-highlighted sculpting on the thorax helps to distinguish this as a rice grasshopper. It is a pest of various crops, including sugar cane and rice, and may travel in swarms.
Photographed and identified to order by: Sundus Zahid. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mansehra, KPK, Pakistan. Date: 24 September, 2019.

Rufous-legged grasshopper, Xenocatantops humilis humilis, subfamily Catantopinae, family Acrididae.
□ The black bands on the outside of the hind femurs, and the red/orange coloration on the inside of the hind femurs help to identify the rufous-legged grasshopper. Photographed and identified by: Dr. Kailash Chandra and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Zoological Survey of India Location: Chhattisgarh, India. Date: 28 June, 2014.

Diabolocatantops innotabilis (no specific common name), subfamily Catantopinae, family Acrididae.
□ The white-bordered hind leg of Diabolocatantops innotabilis has two short black bars at the upper edge. It also has a thin, white line extending downward from its eye, and a diagonal white bar followed by a brown triangular patch on each of the tegmina (the forewings). All of those features are well-shown in this photo.
Photographed and identified by: Dr. Kailash Chandra and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Zoological Survey of India. Location: Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, India. Date: 28 September, 2007.

A grasshopper in the genus Diabolocatantops, subfamily Catantopinae, family Acrididae.
□ This may be the species Diabolocatantops innotabilis (no specific common name) or Diabolocatantops pinguis, which look much alike. The latter usually has a dark marking at the top of the hind-leg femur near the body, and Diabolocatantops innotabilis usually does not, so this may be the species Diabolocatantops innotabilis.
Photographed by: Devendra Solanki. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Dondwada, Madhya, Pradesh, India. Date: 29 September, 2017.

A grasshopper, nymph, in the subfamily Catantopinae, family Acrididae.
□ Nymphs of some species in the subfamily Catantopinae are sometimes called little clown grasshoppers for their festive colors, as seen here.
Photographed and identified to order by: Akku Anna. Identified to subfamily by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. Date: 25 August, 2018.

A grasshopper in the genus Oxya, subfamily Oxyinae, family Acrididae.
□ This grasshopper has been identified as one of the species within the genus Oxya. At least four species of Oxyalive in the area of India where this photo was taken. They include: Oxya japonica, Oxya hyla, Oxya fuscovittata, and Oxya nitidula.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Chinmay Chaitanya Maliye. Location: Bangalore, India. Date: 13 December, 2018.

A grasshopper nymph, in the genus Gesonula, subfamily Oxyinae, family Acrididae.
□ This nymph (immature) grasshopper has banded hind legs, and blue streaks on its thorax and abdomen.
Photographed and identified to order by: Abhirup Saha. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mekhliganj, West Bengal, India. Date: 9 August, 2021.

Brown-spotted locust, Cyrtacanthacris tatarica, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ According to a 2014 research paper Journal of Insect Science), the brown-spotted locust is found “in the scattered vegetation of grasses, herbs, and shrubs” and it is a solitary species, so it does not swarm as many other locusts do.” Photographed and identified by: Dr. Kailash Chandra and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Zoological Survey of India. Thank you for the ID, Kailash and Sunil! Location: Chhattisgarh, India. Date: 4 June, 2012.

Brown-spotted locust, Cyrtacanthacris tatarica, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ The striped eyes and the spines on each hind-leg tibia (the “shin”) of this brown-spotted locust are clearly visible in this excellent photo.
Photographed by: Abhishek Gawande. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Satara, Maharashtra, India. Date: 29 September, 2018.

American Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)

American bird grasshopper, also known as American grasshopper, Schistocerca americana, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ In temperate climates, adult American bird grasshoppers die off by winter, and only their eggs survive until the next spring. In warmer climates, however, adults not only survive the winter, but also remain active year-round. In Florida, where this picture was taken, they can become major agricultural pests of vegetables and young citrus trees.
Photographed and identified to order by: Sheldon L. Boyd. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: The Villages Florida, USA. Date: 8 January, 2018.

American bird grasshopper, Pieris, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ The photographer spotted this American bird grasshopper in late November in Indiana. Normally, adults have already died off for the year by that time, but with the altered weather patterns in recent years, many insects are remaining active later in the year.
Photographed and identified by: Bob Baumann. Location: Southern Indiana, USA. Date: 30 November, 2021.

American bird grasshopper, also known as American grasshopper, Schistocerca americana, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ In some localized areas, populations of American bird grasshoppers can swell rapidly, causing damage to agricultural crops.
Photographed and identified to order by: Maryle Barbé. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Florida, USA. Date: 2013.

Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca spp., possibly S. alutacea)

Bird grasshopper in the genus Schistocerca, possibly Schistocerca alutacea, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ Bird grasshoppers get their name because they fly very well. Several similar species of this genus are found in the New World — this may be the species Schistocerca alutacea. Only one member of this genus resides in the Old World: Schistocerca gregaria, known mainly as the locust behind the great locust plagues.
Photographed by: Michelle Von Sutphen. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Outer Banks of North Carolina, USA. Date: 10 October, 2020.

Gray bird grasshopper, Schistocerca nitens, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ The gray bird grasshopper is quite large. This one was about 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) in body length (not counting the antennae). One of the features of this species is the side of the pronotum (the shield covering the thorax), which has a characteristic black bar and a whitish bar below it. The white bar is often even more pronounced than seen here.
Photographed and identified to family by: Bill Mertz. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Bellflower, California, USA. Date: 21 November, 2021.
Bill found this big grasshopper in his backyard.

Gray bird grasshopper, Schistocerca nitens, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ The gray bird grasshopper usually comes in shades of gray and brown with a lighter colored stripe down the center of its head and pronotum (the shield covering the thorax), another light-colored stripe beneath a darker one at each lower edge of its pronotum, and alternating light-and-dark bands along the top of each hind leg femur.
□ The scientific name of this species has varied widely over the years. Bugguide.net compiled of those name changes into a list, which is available here.
Photographed by: Judith Malmstrom. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Green Valley, Arizona, USA. Date: 26 October, 2022.

Garden locust, Acanthacris ruficornis, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ Garden locusts have quite distinctive hind legs with the short black stripe on the femur and the blue-and-red tibia with red-tipped spines. The red tips on the spines will require a close look!
□ This species sometimes has a second brown band on the pronotum (the shield covering the thorax).
Photographed and identified by: Natalie Rowles. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Pinetown, South Africa (near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal). Date: 12 May, 2020.

Egyptian tree locust, Anacridium aegyptium, subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, family Acrididae.
□ The Egyptian tree locust can be quite large, with the females growing to as much as 2 3/4 inches long (7 cm) and males to 2 1/4 inches long (6 cm). It has pale orange hind-leg femurs set off with three dashes of black along the top of each and a row of spines along the bottom, but perhaps the most noticeable feature is the striped eyes.
Photographed and identified by: Melanie Pritchard. Location: Góis, Portugal. Date: 8 June, 2020.
Melanie says, “We rescued him from an underground garage and he obligingly posed for a photo afterwards!” She adds, “He was keeping a close eye on me. Beautiful creature.”

Silent Slant-Faced Grasshopper (Acrida cinerea)

Oriental long-headed locust, Acrida cinerea, subfamily Acridinae, family Acrididae.
□ The Oriental long-headed locust is one of about 40 species in its genus (Acrida), and they are grouped together under the collective common name of silent slant-faced grasshoppers.
Photographed by: Devendra Solanki. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Khargone, Madhya, Pradesh, India. Date: 29 September, 2017.

Oriental long-headed locust, Acrida cinerea, subfamily Apoderinae, family Attelabidae.
□ The Oriental longheaded locust has a long, downward-drawn head with a shape somewhat like that of a horse. Click on the photo to zoom in for a better view. The hind legs are extremely long and release with a spring-like mechanism that can quickly propel the locust into the air. Their hindwings also fan open for flight and as they flap, they produce a sound that can startle would-be predators, and help the locust escape.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well-done on the identification, Eric! Location: Khao Sam Roi Yot, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand. Date: 25 January, 2024.

Mediterranean slant-faced grasshopper, Acrida ungarica, subfamily Podopinae, family Pentatomidae.
□ The Mediterranean slant-faced grasshopper is a widespread European species, where it is known as a common cone-headed grasshopper. It looks similar to Truxalis nasuta (no specific common name), but the latter has an outward curve in the two dark-brown stripes on the thorax.
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Greece. Date: 9 October, 2023.

Silent Slant-Faced Grasshopper (Acrida spp.)

Mediterranean slant-faced grasshopper, Acrida ungarica, nymph, subfamily Acridinae, family Acrididae.
□ Click on this photo of a Mediterranean slant-faced grasshopper to zoom in and get a better idea of how slanted the face is in this nymph (immature). This feature is seen in the adult, too. The red arrow points to the antennae at the top of its head, the blue arrow points to its eyes, and the yellow arrow points to its mouthparts.
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: southern Greece. Date: 12 February, 2023.

Acrida exaltata (no specific common name), subfamily Acridinae, family Acrididae.
□ This Acrida exaltatais sitting in a typical pose with its very long hind legs angled out from the body. Compare the size of the hind legs to that of the middle and front legs.
Photographed and identified as a grasshopper by: K J Westman. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Nithulemada, Digana, Rajawella, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Date: 6 March, 2018.
K J found this grasshopper at 11 p.m. on the house veranda in Sri Lanka. KnowYourInsects.org says, “Great shot, K J!”

Silent Slant-Faced Grasshopper (Acrida indica)

A silent slant-faced grasshopper in the genus Acrida, subfamily Acridinae, family Acrididae.
□ Males of most grasshoppers make noise, or stridulate, by rubbing small pegs on their hind legs against their wings. But male silent slant-faced grasshoppers have no pegs and cannot make the noise. In other words, they are “silent.”
Photographed by: Devendra Solanki. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Khargone, Madhya, Pradesh, India. Date: 29 September, 2017.

A silent slant-faced grasshopper in the genus Acrida, subfamily Acridinae, family Acrididae.
□ The head of this silent slant-faced grasshopper almost looks as if it was stretched like pulled taffy.
Photographed by: Bhuvan Raj. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Date: 8 March, 2020.

Common field grasshopper, Chorthippus brunneus, subfamily Gomphocerinae, family Acrididae.
□ These two grasshoppers may not look much alike in color and pattern, but they are both members of the same species: the common field grasshopper. This variable species may be brown, gray or green, sometimes even purple or orange, and have mottling or striping on their tegmina (the long, thin and leathery forewings).
Photographed by: Diana Luntena. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Riga, Latvia. Date: 10 August, 2023.
Diana says, “I’d gone outside to breathe some fresh air, and couldn’t help but hear the chirps of a grasshopper somewhere close. Turns out, two of them were sitting nearby, on one of the plants!”

Lesser marsh hopper, Chorthippus albomarginatus, subfamily Gomphocerinae, family Acrididae.
□ The lesser marsh hopper, which has a short, repetitive, buzzy mating call, can be found in wet places (as its name suggests), but also frequents drier spots. To hear its call, click here (Soundcloud.com)
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Location: St. Pée-sur-Nivelle, France. Date: 31 August, 2016.

Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus biguttulus)

Bow-winged grasshopper, male, Chorthippus biguttulus, subfamily Gomphocerinae, family Acrididae.
□ The male bow-winged grasshopper is shown here with his characteristic red-tipped abdomen (the female’s abdomen is not red). The male makes a several-second call that is a series of fast “ch” sounds. To hear it, click here (Fraser’s Birding Website). Like other grasshoppers, it makes the sound via stridulation.
Photographed and identified to species by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Nicely done, Jean-Louis! Location: Oxford, UK. Date: 2 August, 2020.

Meadow grasshopper, Pseudochorthippus parallelus, subfamily Gomphocerinae, family Acrididae.
□ One of the identifying features in this genus of grasshoppers (Pseudochorthippus) is the shape of the pronotal side keel, or the slight ridge on the pronotum (the shield covering the thorax). The common field grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus) has an upward angle toward the center, and the meadow grasshopper (Pseudochorthippus parallelus) has a fairly straight keel, as seen in this photo. This suggests it is the latter.
Photographed and identified to family by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Headington, Oxford, UK. Date: 8 August, 2015.
Jean-Louis snapped this photo on the back wall of his house. KnowYourInsects.org likes this kind of visitor :-)

Meadow grasshopper, Pseudochorthippus parallelus, subfamily Gomphocerinae, family Acrididae.
□ The green of this meadow grasshopper is vibrant against the brown of its wings. Note: the genus name of this species is sometimes listed as Chorthippus.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Nicely done, Jean-Louis! Location: Oxford, UK. Date: 16 July, 2022.

Toothpick grasshopper, nymph, likely a two-striped mermiria, Mermiria bivittata, subfamily Gomphocerinae, family Acrididae.
□ This toothpick grasshopper nymph is quite possibly a two-striped mermiria, also known as a two-striped toothpick grasshopper. This is a young nymph. Older nymphs and adults will show a dark stripe running down each side of the body and onto the tegmina (forewings). Note also that the antennae look almost like a bull’s horns.
Photographed and identified to family by: Tony Zydlewski. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Texas, USA. Date: 26 June, 2021.

Clip-wing grasshopper, Metaleptea brevicornis, subfamily Gomphocerinae, family Acrididae.
□ The clip-wing grasshopper is named for the angled edge at the rear of the long tegmina (forewings). The hindwings are folded up and hidden beneath the tegmina until it takes flight.
Photographed by: J.J. Ford. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Shelby County, eastern Texas, USA. Date: 19 August, 2018.

Sometimes, typically green grasshopper species have a pink coloration. A genetic mutation called erythrism is responsible: It causes an overproduction of red pigment (and an underproduction of black). Erythrism remains rare because pink grasshoppers make more obvious targets for predators, and therefore do not survive to reproductive age all that often.

Teratodes monticollis (no specific common name), subfamily Teratodinae, family Acrididae.
□ The tall pronotum (the shield covering the thorax) of Teratodes monticollis, gives it the appearance of a leaf — excellent camouflage! This species is one of the grasshopper species collectively known as hooded grasshoppers for its pronotum.
Photographed and identified by: Dr. Kailash Chandra and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Zoological Survey of India. Thank you for the ID, Kailash and Sunil! Location: Chhattisgarh, India. Date: 15 July, 2011.

Hooded grasshopper (Teratodes monticollis)

A hooded grasshopper in the genus Teratodes, likely Teratodes monticollis, subfamily Teratodinae, family Acrididae.
□ The helmet-like pronotum of adult hooded grasshoppers in the genus Teratodes reaches forward to form a crest cover not only the thorax, but also the head. This appears to be the species Teratodes monticollis (no specific common name of its own), which may be brown (as shown) or green (shown elsewhere on this page).
Photographed and identified to genus by: Vikrant Berde. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra state, India. Date: 16 May, 2020.

Cattail toothpick grasshopper, Leptysma marginicollis, subfamily Leptysminae, family Acrididae.
□ The cattail toothpick grasshopper often sits with its antennae held forward and together, almost giving the appearance of a short spear extending out from its head.
Photographed by: Deidre Taylor-Lang. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA. Date: 27 November, 2021.

Cattail toothpick grasshopper, Leptysma marginicollis, subfamily Leptysminae, family Acrididae.
□ The legs of the cattail toothpick grasshopper may be brown, as shown here, or green, but all have the white stripe on the side.
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 29 November, 2022.
Marv says, “Here’s a cute one. Looks like a grasshopper with a bad overbite.”

A short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae.
□ The brown-leather color of this unknown species of short-horned grasshopper nymph is quite lovely.
Photographed and identified to family by: Will MacKinnon. Location: Alger County, Michigan. Date: 30 May, 2021.
Will says, “This wee beastie was in a boreal forest, woodland. It is on dwarf bilberry, Vaccinium cespitosum, with V. angustifolium and V. myrtilloides common in the area.... This just above an extensive sedge-dominated fen.”

Morabidae, the monkey or matchstick grasshoppers

A matchstick grasshopper, possibly a green-legged matchstick grasshopper, Callitala major, subfamily Morabinae, family Morabidae.
□ The matchstick grasshoppers are long and thin, and often sit with the hind legs splayed to the side, as seen here. This appears to be a green-legged matchstick grasshopper, which has a tan body and orangish-tan antennae. Its common name comes from its legs, each of which has a green femur and pinkish-red tibia (the “shin”).
□ The subfamily Morabinae was once listed in the family Eumastacidae.
Photographed by: Richard Rankin. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Townsville, northeastern Queensland, Australia. Date: 5 April, 2021.

Pyrgomorphidae, the gaudy grasshoppers

Short-horned gaudy grasshopper (Neorthacris simulans)

Short-horned gaudy grasshopper, perhaps Neorthacris simulans, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ Unlike typical adult grasshoppers, the adult short-horned gaudy grasshopper and others in this family are wingless.
Photographed by Ajay Antony. Identified by KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamil Nadu, India. Date: 12 May, 2017.

Short-horned gaudy grasshopper, perhaps Neorthacris simulans, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ The short-horned gaudy grasshopper has a white-spattered, black stripe that runs from its head to the beginning of its abdomen, a few small splashes of red along its sides, and bright green legs.
Photographed and identified as a gaudy grasshopper by: Kalai Selvan. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Singiri koil, Vellore, India. Date: 5 June, 2020.

Pyrgomorphid Grasshopper (Neorthacris or Orthacris)

Pyrgomorphid grasshopper in the genus Neorthacris or Orthacris, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ This pyrgomorphid grasshopper is either a member of the genus Neorthacris or Orthacris, which are very similar. In fact, insects in Neorthacris were once included in the genus Orthacris. Usually scientists will tell them apart based examination of the shape of male reproductive structures: Neorthacris are more whip-like, whereas Orthacris are short.
Photographed and identified by: Chinmay Chaitanya Maliye. Location: Banglore, India. Date: 9 August, 2019.

Usher-hoppers, mating pair, Poekilocerus bufonius, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ This is a mating pair of usher-hoppers. The much smaller male is on the female’s back near one of her hind legs. This grasshopper eats milkweed plants, which contain a chemical that is toxic to its predators, and then secretes that chemical in a yellow liquid as a defensive tactic.
Photographed by: Nura Al-Shammari. Location: outside of Hail, near Yemen, Saudi Arabia. Date: 19 August, 2020.

Ak grasshopper, adult and nymphs, Poekilocerus pictus, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ At least a dozen ak grasshoppers — mainly nymphs — are crowding on this stem. If a predator (such as a person) picks up a nymph, it will defend itself by squirting a stream of liquid.
Photographed and identified by: Dr. Kailash Chandra and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Zoological Survey of India. Location: Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Dhamtari District, Chhattisgarh, India. Date: 19 June, 2012.

Ak grasshopper, adult, Poekilocerus pictus, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ Ak grasshoppers are sometimes known by the alternate spelling of aak grasshoppers, or by the descriptive name of painted grasshoppers.
Photographed by: Devendra Solanki. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Khargone, Madhya, Pradesh, India. Date: 24 September, 2017.

Ak grasshopper, adult and nymph, Poekilocerus pictus, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ These photos show off the amazing color and detail of the ak grasshopper adult and nymph. The adult with its longer wings and striped abdomen is shown in the top photo. The nymph (bottom photo) has a speckled abdomen.
Photographed and identified by: Dr. Kailash Chandra and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Zoological Survey of India. Location: Chhattisgarh, India. Date: 22 July, 2012.

Koppie foam grasshopper, Dictyophorus spumans, subfamily Pyrgomorphinae, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ Very colorful with its red and blue highlights, this koppie foam grasshopper gets the “foam” part of its name from the bubbly liquid it expels from its thorax. That liquid foam is toxic to predators, so it is a good defense.
Photographed by: Andrea Holbova. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Drakensbergen, South Africa. Date: 18 November, 2021.
Andrea says, “About 4 cm and moves — springs — like a grasshopper.”

Leprous Grasshoppers (Phymateus leprosus)

Leprous Grasshoppers, also known as Bush Grasshoppers, Bushhoppers or Milkweed Locusts, Phymateus leprosus, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ These photos show both color morphs of the leprous grasshopper: red/brown and green. Note the characteristic pair of big lumps and assorted smaller bumps on the pronotum (the shield covering the thorax), which gives it the common name leprous.
□ The leprous grasshopper goes through 10 instars as a nymph (pre-adult), and in the earliest instars, the nymphs of both color morphs are brown, later becoming either red/brown or green adults, according to identity verifier Günter Köhler, who has studied this species.
Photographed and identified by: Jill Dunstone. The brown one submitted by: Felicity Preece. Identity of both specimens verified by: Günter Köhler of Friedrich Schiller University. Location: near Dargle, KZN Midlands, South Africa. Date: 30 April, 2020.
Felicity knew of the green morph of the leprous grasshopper and identified it as such, but had never seen the red morph so was unsure of its identity. KnowYourInsects.org thanks Felicity for spotting and photographing both color morphs!

Pyrgomorphid grasshopper (Aularches miliaris miliaris)

Pyrgomorphid grasshopper (no common name), male, Aularches miliaris miliaris, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ The yellow spots are quite noticeable against the dark brown of the tegmina (forewings) in this pyrgomorphid grasshopper.
□ Note the ornate (tuberculate) thorax in the close-up photo, along with the blue-green color of the head and the slender white striping on the antennae.
Photographed and identified by: Dr. Kailash Chandra and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Zoological Survey of India. Location: Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary, Gariyaband district, Chhattisgarh, India. Date: 27 October, 2012.

Gaudy grasshopper, possibly Pyrgomorpha conica (no specific common name), family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ This gaudy grasshopper has a very long and conical head.
Photographed by: Devendra Solanki. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Khargone, Madhya, Pradesh, India. Date: 28 September, 2017.

Northern Grass Pyrgomorph (Atractomorpha similis)

Northern grass pyrgomorph, nymph, Atractomorpha similis, subfamily Pyrgomorphinae, family Pyrgomorphidae.
□ Nymphs of northern grass pyrgomorphs, as shown here, have tiny white spots on their otherwise green bodies, and short, thich antennae that it holds forward as if it is ready to enter a jousting match. Adults have a similar overall appearance, but with long and functional wings. Some adults are green and others are brown.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Bleheut. Nice ID, Eric! Location: Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: 15 June, 2024.

Tetrigidae, the groundhoppers or pygmy grasshoppers

Pygmy Grasshopper (Paratettix spp. or Euparatettix spp.)

Pygmy grasshopper in the genus Paratettix or Euparatettix, subfamily Tetriginae, family Tetrigidae.
□ This tiny pygmy grasshopper (see the photographer’s comment below) has a rather rough surface with a comparatively light-colored pronotum (the shield covering the thorax).
Photographed and identified to order by: Melissa Cervantes. Narrowed down to two genera by: Ming Kai Tan of the National University of Singapore. Thank you, Dr. Tan! Location: Central Luzon, Philippines. Date: 15 September, 2020.
Melissa found it in her front yard. She says, “It’s quite small. Like a quarter of an inch (6-7 mm). Just a bit bigger than a fly.”

Pygmy grasshopper, subfamily Tetriginae, family Tetrigidae.
□ This pygmy grasshopper was about 0.5 inches (1.25 cm) long, and was found in Florida, which is home to 13 species of pygmy grasshoppers. This specimen may be a Mexican pygmy grasshopper (Paratettix mexicanus), which has a dark mottled pattern.
Photographed and identified to order by: Anonymous. Identified to potential species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Naples, Florida, USA. Date: 17 June, 2020.
The photographer reports that this is one of many that were on her porch.

Groundhopper, subfamily Tetriginae, family Tetrigidae.
□ Even though this groundhopper is quite small, it has full wings, so it is an adult. For most of their length, the wings are hidden under this groundhopper’s long pronotum (the shield covering the thorax), but they are visible at the very rear of the insect.
□ Most species in this family, which are often called pygmy grasshoppers, are quite small with many reaching no longer than 0.3 inch (1 cm) in body length.
Photographed and identified to order by: Maharshi Nilesh Patel. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: outskirts of Vansda National Park, Vansda tehsil, Navsari District of Gujarat State, India. Date: 26 August, 2019.
Maharshi says, “It was really tiny.”

Pygmy grasshopper, subfamily Tetriginae, family Tetrigidae.
□ Pygmy grasshoppers have a very long pronotum (the shield covering the thorax). In other grasshopper families, the pronotum typically covers little more than the insect’s thorax, but in pygmy grasshoppers, it extends back to cover the abdomen and wings as well. For more information, click here (KnowYourInsects.org general Tetrigidae page).
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: near Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 8 June, 2022.

To read a short but informative overview of the worldwide groundhopper/pygmy grasshopper family (Tetrigidae) — with a photo of a beautiful blue species — click here (ScienceDirect.com).

Romaleidae, the lubber grasshoppers

Horse Lubber Grasshopper (Taeniopoda spp.)

Horse lubber grasshopper, nymph, in the genus Taeniopoda, family Romaleidae.
□ This nymph of a horse lubber grasshopper has short, nonfunctional wings tucked just behind its orange-outlined pronotum (the shield covering the thorax). Reddish-orange also highlights parts of its head, abdomen and legs.
Photographed and identified to order by: Marlene. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Panama City, Panama. Date: 23 July, 2017.

Plains lubber grasshopper, Brachystola magna (also known as Romalea guttata), family Romaleidae.
□ Adult plains lubber grasshopper have very short wings, and they are unable to fly. Some individuals are quite colorful with a blue head, as shown, but others are green instead. To see the green adult, click here (BugGuide).
Photographed and identified to order by: Steffen Grashoff. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kingman Arizona, USA. Date: 21 September, 2007.

Eastern lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera, family Romaleidae.
□ The eastern lubber grasshopper (sometimes called a Florida lubber) is a large grasshopper that often reaches 3 inches (7.5 cm) long. It moves quite slowly, making it easier to catch than most grasshoppers. Sometimes, its population numbers can soar and these grasshoppers can cause considerable crop damage.
Photographed by: Sheldon L. Boyd. Identified by: Audrey Maran. Thank you, Audrey! Location: alongside the Rainbow River in Florida, USA. Date: 23 August, 2017.
KnowYourInsects.org says, “The photographer captured all the beauty of this grasshopper. Nice photo, Sheldon!”

Eastern lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera, family Romaleidae.
□ The eastern lubber grasshopper’s species name of microptera refers to its relatively small tegmina (forewings) — micro = small; ptera = wings. Most other adult grasshoppers have tegmina that extend to at least the end of the abdomen, but this species has tegmina only about half as long as the abdomen.
Photographed by: Mike Weyer. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Date: 15 September, 2019.

Eastern lubber grasshoppers may be listed by two scientific names: Romalea microptera, which was used traditionally; and Romalea guttata, which is the newer designation.

Eastern lubber grasshopper, nymph, Romalea microptera, family Romaleidae.
□ The eastern lubber grasshopper goes through five molts as a nymph before it becomes an adult, getting longer and longer wings with each molt. This is the last nymphal stage (called the fifth instar) before it becomes an adult — quite a difference in coloration from the adult (shown in the previous row)!
Photographed by: Dona Marie Kitchen. Submitted and identified to order by: Sherry Polite. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: east Texas, USA. Date: 18 August, 2019.

Eastern lubber grasshopper, nymph, Romalea microptera, family Romaleidae.
□ This eastern lubber grasshopper nymph is black with red striping, but other individuals may have cream-colored striping instead. Nymphs are often seen on vegetation, often in groups.
Photographed by: Roxanne Elrod. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: central Alabama, USA. Date: 5 June, 2021.

Eastern lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera, family Romaleidae.
□ Lubber is an old-fashioned term that means a slow, lumbering, rather clumsy person. The eastern lubber grasshopper does indeed walk in a slow, lumbering manner.
Photographed by: Samantha Burns. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Callahan, Florida, USA. Date: 9 August, 2021.
Samantha says, “We are always finding neat insects around here.”

Pamphagidae, the stone grasshoppers

Deceptive stone grasshopper, Acinipe deceptoria, subfamily Pamphaginae, family Pamphagidae.
□ This deceptive stone grasshopper looks like it had a difficult encounter with a predator, as it is missing both hind legs and part of its right foreleg. This species is native to Spain, where it is found in limited regions, typically hot, dry, mountainous areas. During rare outbreaks of this grasshopper, it have been noted as a pest on rosemary.
Photographed by: Mike Billing. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Almogía, Andalusia, Spain. Date: 3 August, 2020.
Mike says, “It was in the countryside and dropped from the roof of the house. It’s 7 cm (2.7 inches) long and waddles along on its four legs.”

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