Family (Alpha): ACRIDIDAE GRYLLACRIDIDAE GRYLLIDAE GRYLLOTALPIDAE RHAPHIDOPHORIDAE ROMALEIDAE TETRIGIDAE TETTIGONIIDAE TRIDACTYLIDAE
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Metaleptea brevicornis Schistocerca alutacea Schistocerca americana Schistocerca damnifica Schistocerca lineata Schistocerca obscura Schistocerca rubiginosa Schistocerca unidentified species Amblytropidia mysteca Syrbula admirabilis Chloealtis conspersa Eritettix simplex Pseudochorthippus curtipennis Mermiria unidentified species Mermiria bivittata Mermiria intertexta Mermiria picta Dichromorpha elegans Dichromorpha viridis Orphulella pelidna Orphulella speciosa Leptysma marginicollis Stenacris vitreipennis Campylacantha olivacea Paratylotropidia beutenmuelleri Eotettix pusillus Hesperotettix viridis Hesperotettix viridis brevipennis Melanoplus unidentified species Melanoplus viridipes group unidentified species Melanoplus acrophilus Melanoplus angustipennis Melanoplus attenuatus Melanoplus bispinosus Melanoplus bivittatus Melanoplus carnegiei Melanoplus celatus Melanoplus cherokee Melanoplus confusus Melanoplus coreyi Melanoplus deceptus Melanoplus decoratus Melanoplus decorus Melanoplus devius Melanoplus differentialis Melanoplus divergens Melanoplus eurycercus Melanoplus femurrubrum Melanoplus hubbelli Melanoplus impudicus Melanoplus keeleri Melanoplus keeleri keeleri Melanoplus keeleri luridus Melanoplus mirus Melanoplus n. sp. 35 Melanoplus n. sp. 6 Melanoplus nigrescens Melanoplus nossi Melanoplus nubilus Melanoplus pachycercus Melanoplus propinquus Melanoplus punctulatus Melanoplus punctulatus arboreus Melanoplus punctulatus punctulatus Melanoplus sanguinipes Melanoplus sanguinipes atlanis Melanoplus sanguinipes defectus Melanoplus scudderi Melanoplus serrulatus Melanoplus similis Melanoplus strumosus Melanoplus sylvestris Melanoplus tribulus Melanoplus walshii Paroxya atlantica Paroxya clavuligera Booneacris variegata Dendrotettix australis Dendrotettix zimmermanni Stethophyma celatum Arphia unidentified species Arphia granulata Arphia sulphurea Arphia xanthoptera Chortophaga australior Chortophaga viridifasciata Chortophaga unidentified species Encoptolophus sordidus Hippiscus ocelote Pardalophora apiculata Pardalophora phoenicoptera Psinidia fenestralis Trachyrhachys kiowa Dissosteira carolina Spharagemon bolli Spharagemon cristatum Spharagemon marmorata Spharagemon marmorata picta Trimerotropis maritima Trimerotropis saxatilis NC Records
Melanoplus impudicus Scudder, 1897 - Immodest Spur-throat Grasshopper
Taxonomy
Family: Acrididae
Subfamily: MelanoplinaeTribe: MelanopliniComments: Melanoplus is our largest genus of Orthopterans, with over 350 species occurring in North America (Cigliano et al., 2017). 38 species have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: OSF, Google Images ,
iNaturalist , GBIF Technical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Blatchley (1920) Comments: A medium-sized, brownish-yellow, long-winged grasshopper. The upper parts are grayish- to reddish-brown; the lower parts, including most of the abdomen, are yellowish-brown to fawn brown. The post-ocular dark stripe is variable, sometimes weak in the females. The tegmina are spotted along the middle. The hind femora are yellow with two incomplete or indistinct dark bands on both the upper and outer faces. The hind tibiae are bright red (Blatchley, 1920; Capinera et al., 2001). Melanoplus confusus is slightly smaller and similar in coloration, but is less distinctly banded on hind femora and usually has bluish hind tibiae but reddish in some individuals -- in those cases, the male reproductive structures should be checked to confirm the identification.Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 18-19 mm, males; 22-23 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)Structural Features: The furculae are small -- shorter than the last abdominal segment to which they are attached. The cerci are broad at the base, narrowing towards the middle but maintaining their width beyond the middle until narrowing to a blunt point; the subgenital plate has an apical tubercle (Blatchley, 1920; Capinera et al., 2001)Structural photos
Nymphal Stages and Development: Undescribed
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Adult Dates: Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Rehn and Hebard (1916) found it in association with woodlands dominated by pines and dry oaks, including Blackjack. Blatchley (1920) describes its habitat as grassy areas within dry, open woodlands, including both sandhills and rocky ridges. Several other records exist in the literature documenting association with dry woodlands and barrerns, usually sandy but rocky in a few cases. Current records in North Carolina all come from the Fall-line Sandhills. Diet: Apparently not recordedObservation Methods: Best found by flushing it by walking through its habitatAbundance/Frequency: Not enough information is available to estimate its frequency of occurrence or abundance in North CarolinaAdult Phenology: Recorded in May and July in North Carolina
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W3Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4G5 [S2S3]State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public landsComments: This species is generally considered sparsely distributed (Rehn and Hebard, 1916; Blatchley, 1920). Prior to 2023, only a few historic records existed for North Carolina. In addition to the one current record included in this website, several records (all with obscured locations) have been entered in iNaturalist, all centered in the Fall-line Sandhills
Image Gallery for Melanoplus impudicus - Immodest Spur-throat Grasshopper Recorded by: Steve Hall, Bruce Sorrie, Tom Howard, Carol Tingley Recorded by: B.B. Fulton Recorded by: B.B. Fulton
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