Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Acrididae Members: NC Records

Dichromorpha viridis (Scudder, 1862) - Short-winged Green Grasshopper

Dichromorpha viridis
Nymph		Dichromorpha viridisDichromorpha viridis
Taxonomy
Family: Acrididae Subfamily: Gomphocerinae Tribe: Orphulellini
Comments: One of four members of this New World genus, three of which occur in North America north of Mexico (Cignlano et al., 2018), and two in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Capinera et al. (2004)Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIFTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Blatchley (1920); Otte (1981)                                                                                  
Comments: A small, green or brown, short-winged, Slant-faced Grasshopper. Females are usually uniformly colored either green or brown -- with some degree of speckling. Males are more bicolored, often green on the dorsal surface and pale brown on the sides, or pale brown above and darker brown on the sides (Otte, 1981). The lateral carinae of the pronotum are pale and run fairly straight, not constricted in the middle as in other Slant-faced Grasshoppers. The inner sides of the carinae are not marked with darker bands or triangles -- as in Orphulella or Eritettix -- but the lower sides may be edged with black, but much more narrowly than in Dichromorpha elegans. The remainder of the body and tegmina are either unmarked or may possess small spots.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 15-16 mm, males; 23-27 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)
Structural Features: The lateral carinae of the pronotum are cut by two sulci, unlike Dichromorpha elegans, where there is just one that cuts across; the posterior sulcus also cuts the median carina of the pronotum but the anterior sulci usually do not cross the median. The wings are usually shorter than the abdomen but long-winged females occur occasionally (Otte, 1981). Antennae are moderately flattened (Blatchley, 1920) and the eye is proportionately smaller relative to head width than in D. elegans (Otte, 1981).
Singing Behavior: Males stridulate during mating to repel other males (Otte, 1970, 1981)
Nymphal Stages and Development: Older nymphs, at least, are colored similarly to the adults and have two sulci cutting the lateral carinae of the pronotum
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: This species occupies a wide range of grassy habitats, ranging from native savannas and shorelines to roadside edges and lawns. Most of our records come from fairly wet habitats and none from the dry-to-xeric grasslands associated with sandhills or rock outcrops.
Diet: Reported to be a grass-feeding species, found on a variety of native grasses as well as turf species (Capinera et al., 1997)
Observation Methods: Best found by walking through its habitat and flushing individuals into making short jumps
Abundance/Frequency: Regularly occurring and often high in density
Adult Phenology: Adults appear in June and persist until at least October
See also Habitat Account for General Successional and Semi-Natural Grasslands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments: This species is widespread and occupies a wide range of habitats, including those disturbed or alterd by human activities. This species appears to be very secure within the state.

Image Gallery for Dichromorpha viridis - Short-winged Green Grasshopper

Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Johnston Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Johnston Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Johnston Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Johnston Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Columbus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Columbus Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Columbus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Columbus Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Brunswick Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Richmond Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Scotland Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Columbus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Columbus Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Johnston Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Johnston Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Duplin Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Duplin Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Sampson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Sampson Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Bladen Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Bladen Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Greene Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Greene Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wayne Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wayne Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall, Dee Stuckey, and Savannah Hall
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Edgecombe Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Edgecombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Nash Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp
Nash Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Brunswick Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Brunswick Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger
Wilson Co.
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Recorded by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Terrell Tucker
Moore Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan
Moore Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Jeff Beane
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Shields
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan
Moore Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Vin Stanton
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Vin Stanton
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Aaron Edmonds
Harnett Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Aaron Edmonds
Harnett Co.
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Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman
Scotland Co.
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Recorded by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman
Scotland Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall
Bladen Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Hunter Phillips
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: T. DeSantis
Camden Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: FKW
Gates Co.
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