Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tetrigidae Members:	NC Records
Tettigidea acuta Morse 1895 - Acute Pygmy Grasshopper

Taxonomy

Family: Tetrigidae	Subfamily: Batrachideinae	Tribe:
Species Status: Tettigidea is one of two genera in the subfamily Batrachideinae, characterized by the possession of antennae with over 19 segments; middle femurs possessing a broad shallow channel on the dorsal surface; and the front margin of the pronotum usually rounded or extending over the head (Hancock, 1906; Blatchley, 1920). In the Tetriginae, the antennae have fewer than 15 segments; the middle femurs are laterally compressed and carinate dorsally; and the front edge of the pronotum is usually truncate except in Nomotettix, where it is angulate and projecting forward.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:	Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF
Comments: "Color brown to dark brownish fuscous, more or less of the top of pronotum straw-colored. Elytral pale spots rather larger than in lateralis" (Morse, 1895).
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 16.8 - 17.3 mm (Morse, 1895)
Structural Features: As in T. armata, the apex of the pronotum is acute rather than rounded, as in lateralis. The median and lateral carinae are less prominent than in armata and the surface is less rugose and sometimes shiny. There can also be a slight depression in the pronotum at the level of the shoulders, whereas in armata, it is more completely convex.

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: Associated with marshes, including fresh, brackish, and salt (Helfer, 1987)

Diet: Members of this group feed on algae or detritus in mud or sand

Observation Methods:

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology:

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks:

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Tettigidea acuta - Acute Pygmy Grasshopper
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment: Guess.
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment: Guess.	Recorded by: Stephen Hall, Ed Corey, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Tom Howard, Carol Tingley, Brian Bockhahn, and Van Cotter Durham Co. Comment: In floodplain hardwood forest
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall, Ed Corey, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Tom Howard, Carol Tingley, Brian Bockhahn, and Van Cotter Durham Co. Comment:

Image Gallery for Tettigidea acuta - Acute Pygmy Grasshopper