Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Acrididae Members: NC Records

Schistocerca lineata Scudder, 1899 - Spotted Bird Locust

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Taxonomy
Family: Acrididae Subfamily: Cyrtacanthacridinae Tribe: CyrtacanthacridiniSynonym: Schistocerca emarginata
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 the Alutacea Species Group, which consists of six closely related species (Song,2004). In North Carolina, these include S. alutacea, S. rubiginosa, S. obscura, and S. lineata.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIFTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Hubble (1960); Song (2004)                                                                                  
Comments: A large species, similar in size to S. americana and S. obscura. According to Song (2004): "coloration extremely variable (brown, olive, green, or black and yellow). Upper carina and upper carinula with a row of small dots. Hind tibiae brown, red, or black. Posterior margin of abdominal tergites always with a row of black dots." The black and yellow (aposematic) form is distinctive but the others resemble the other species of Schistocerca. In our area, males can be easily identified by their swollen tibiae on the first and second legs.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 32-50 mm, males; 45-69 mm, females (Song, 2004)
Structural Features: The fore and middle femora of males are distinctively inflated (Song, 2004). Male cerci are quadrate, with the length about the same as width. They are slightly inflated in the middle and the distal tip is bilobed.
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: According to Song (2004), lineata "is abundant in sandy areas but is also frequently found in other habitats"
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Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: The only confirm
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] SH
State Protection:
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