Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Acrididae Members:	NC Records
Mermiria picta (Walker, 1870) - Lively Mermiria

Taxonomy

Family: Acrididae	Subfamily: Gomphocerinae	Tribe: Mermiriini	Synonym: Mermiria alacris
Comments: One of four species in this genus, all of which occur in North America north of Mexico (Cigliano et al., 2018); three species have been recorded in North Carolina

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Capinera et al. (2004)	Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF	Technical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Rehn (1919); Blatchley (1920); Otte (1981)
Comments: A large, slender, green and red-striped, Slant-faced Grasshopper. The antennae are red but the ground color of the rest of the head, thorax, abdomen and legs are green to yellowish-green. A red mid-dorsal stripe runs down the head and thorax and continues on as a reddish shade on the dorsal field of the tegmina. A red postocular stripe, bordered on both sides by white lines, runs from the head onto the sides of the thorax and similar lines also run from the lower part of the face along the the thorax just above the legs. The lateral field of the tegmina is also reddish but lacks the white streak found in the other two species of Mermiria (a red and white extension of the postocular band extends below the edge of the wings to the rear of the thorax). The hind femora is variably streaked with red and the hind tibiae are usually all red. The size, color, and pattern distinguish this species from all other grasshoppers in our area.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 30-41 mm (to the end of the tegmina), males; 46-57 mm, females (Otte, 1981)
Structural Features: Antennae are long and ensiform. Lateral carinae of the pronotum are well-developed and cut by two sulci; they are less well developed in M. intertexta and not evident in M. bivittata.
Singing Behavior: Stridulation was not mentioned by Blatchley (1920) or Otte (1970, 1981) but occurs during courtship in our other two species and may occur in picta as well.
Nymphal Stages and Development: Apparently not described

Distribution in North Carolina


County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Adult Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: All of our records except for Morse's (1904) come from wet Longleaf Pine habitats, including savannas, flatwoods, sandhill seeps, and pocosin ecotones. Further west, this species occurs in drier prairies in uplands, but we have not observed it using the drier Wiregrass dominated areas of sandhills habitats.

Diet: Apparently not recorded but probably feeds on grasses and sedges, as in the other members of this genus

Observation Methods: Probably best found by flushing it by walking through its habitat. Males, in particular, are likely to fly long distances before landing.

Abundance/Frequency: Frequently seen in the right habitat but usually in small numbers

Adult Phenology: Adults appear in June and persist until October

See also Habitat Account for Wet, Sandy, Fire-maintained Herblands

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S3S4

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands

Comments: This species appears to be a strong specialist on wet Longleaf Pine habitats, which have undergone a major reduction in range since European settlement. Almost all of our records come from large expanses of these habitats, which are maintained by prescribed burning. Within these areas, however, it appears to be fairly secure and is likely to remain so as long as they are properly managed.

Image Gallery for Mermiria picta - Lively Mermiria
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Carteret Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Carteret Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Craven Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Craven Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ed Corey Scotland Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Harnett Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Harnett Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Harnett Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Brunswick Co. Comment:

Mermiria picta (Walker, 1870) - Lively Mermiria

Image Gallery for Mermiria picta - Lively Mermiria