Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Acrididae Members: NC Records

Schistocerca alutacea (Harris, 1841) - Leather-colored Bird Locust

Taxonomy
Family: Acrididae Subfamily: Cyrtacanthacridinae Tribe: CyrtacanthacridiniSynonym: Schistocerca alutacea alutacea
Comments: One of about 50 species of New World locusts, with only the Migratory Locust found in the Old World (Song, 2004). Six species are found in North Carolina.
Species Status: Belongs to Song's (2004) Alutacea Species Group, which consists of six closely related species. In North Carolina, these include S. alutacea, S. rubiginosa, S. obscura, and S. lineata.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIF                                                                                  
Comments: A fairly large, greenish-brown to rusty-brown locust. A yellowish mid-dorsal stripe is always present in this species, whereas it is frequently missing in S. rubiginosa.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 33-40 mm, males; 49-52 mm, females (Song, 2004)
Structural Features: The head is small and not inflated, whereas it is moderaely inflated in rubiginosa (Song, 2044). The pronotum narrows toward the head, whereas it is cylindrical in rubiginosa, with no anterior narrowing. The cerci of the males are quadrate, with the length about the same as width, and are slightly inflated in the middle. The distal tip is bilobed (Song, 2004). The internal reproductive structures of the males are diagnostic.
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: This species prefers shrubby,moist to wet situations, including bogs, swamps, marshes, and thickets bordering mesic forests (Song, 2004). Most of our records come from pocosins.
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Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 [S4S5]
State Protection:
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Image Gallery for Schistocerca alutacea - Leather-colored Bird Locust

Recorded by: Stephen Hall
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall
Scotland Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall
Scotland Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall
Pender Co.
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