Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Acrididae Members: NC Records

Melanoplus keeleri luridus (Dodge, 1876) - Broad-necked Locust

Melanoplus keeleri luridusMelanoplus keeleri luridus
Taxonomy
Family: Acrididae Subfamily: Melanoplinae Tribe: Melanoplini
Comments: 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.
Species Status: The two subspecies, M. keeleri keeleri and M. k. luridus, have long been recognized, based on differences in size, reproductive structures, and coloration; in North Carolina, moreover, they appear to be allopatric: Rehn and Hebard (1916) describe the nominate subspecies as being primarily Southeastern and found in the extreme southern end of the Appalachians only at elevations around or below 2,000'. Subspecies luridus, on the other hand, is primarily Northern and Western; it reaches North Carolina along the Appalachians and is found at higher elevations than the nominate form, often above 4,000'.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIFTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Blatchley (1920)                                                                                  
Comments: According to Blatchely (1920) subspecies luridus is characterized by features of the male and female reproductive structures as well as by the smaller size of the females: "subgenital plate as broad as long; upper fork of cerci bent distinctly upward; lower valves of ovipositor relatively short, distinctly decurved; females rarely over 25 mm. in length". See illustrations and more detailed descriptions given in Blatchely.
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)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Diet:
Observation Methods:
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Adult Phenology:
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5T5 [SU]
State Protection:
Comments:

Image Gallery for Melanoplus keeleri luridus - Broad-necked Locust

Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Mitchell Co.
Comment: Red tibiae was distinct.
Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Mitchell Co.
Comment: Red tibiae was distinct.