Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Acrididae Members:	NC Records
Melanoplus walshii Scudder, 1897 - Walsh's Locust

Male

Female

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.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:	Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF
Comments: A yellowish-brown, short-winged Melanoplus with red hind tibiae; males are darker brown than the tannish females. The tegmina are similar to those of nigrescens in showing a strong differentiation between the pale dorsal and dark lateral fields but in this species, the lateral field are dark reddish-brown rather than the black. The pale areas in this species are also more yellowish than pale clay colored, as they are in nigrescens. The two species also differ in structural features.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 19-25 mm, males; 23-29 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)	Forewing Length: 6.2-9 mm, males; 8-9 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)
Structural Features: The pronotal, mid-dorsal ridge is distinct only on the metazona and the prozona is a third or more longer than the metazona (Blatchley, 1920). The tegmina show clear differences in color and texture between the dorsal and lateral fields, with a yellow stripe along the carina separating them. The tips are somewhat pointed and the dorsal fields touch or overlap. The apex of the male cerci are rounded rather than truncated, as in nigrescens. The subgenital plate lacks an apical tubercle, as exists in nigrescens.

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

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Diet:

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Adult Phenology:

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status: W3

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4G5 S3S4

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Melanoplus walshii - Walsh's Locust
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Jim Petranka Mitchell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Jim Petranka Mitchell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Jim Petranka Mitchell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik Macon Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Bo Sullivan, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin Yancey Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Bo Sullivan, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin Yancey Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Bo Sullivan, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin Yancey Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: Male
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: Mating pair	Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: Male, brown phase
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: Male, green phase	Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: Female
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: Male	Recorded by: Ed Corey, Brian Bockhahn, S. Koch Stokes Co. Comment: determined by J. Hill

Image Gallery for Melanoplus walshii - Walsh's Locust