Melanoplus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Ordo: Orthoptera
Subordo: Caelifera
Infraordo: Acrididea
Superfamilia: Acridoidea

Familia: Acrididae
Subfamilia: Melanoplinae
Tribus: Melanoplini
Genus: Melanoplus
Species: M. acidocercus – M. acrophilus – M. adapi – M. adelogyrus – M. adox – M. aix – M. alabamae – M. alector – M. alexanderi – M. alpinus – M. altitudinum – M. andreasi – M. angularis – M. angustipennis – M. apache – M. apalachicolae – M. arcanus – M. aridus – M. arizonae – M. artemisiae – M. ascensor – M. ascensus – M. aspasmus – M. aster – M. atangi – M. attenuatus – M. bakeri – M. baldi – M. beameri – M. benni – M. bernardinae – M. betangi – M. birchimi – M. bispinosus – M. bivittatus – M. bohemani – M. bonita – M. borealis – M. boulderensis – M. bowditchi – M. bruneri – M. buxtoni – M. calidus – M. cameronis – M. cancri – M. cantralli – M. carinae – M. carnegiei – M. caroli – M. carrabellae – M. cedarense – M. celatus – M. cherokee – M. chichimecus – M. childsi – M. chimariki – M. chiricahuae – M. chumash – M. cimatario – M. cinereus – M. clypeatus – M. complanatipes – M. confusus – M. culebra – M. cumbres – M. cuneatus – M. daemon – M. dakini – M. davisi – M. dawsoni – M. dealbatus – M. debilis – M. deceptus – M. decoratus – M. decorus – M. delano – M. desultorius – M. devastator – M. devius – M. diablo – M. differentialis – M. digitifer – M. dimidipennis – M. diminutus – M. discolor – M. divergens – M. dodgei – M. douglasi – M. eccentricus – M. edeva – M. elaphrus – M. elater – M. elkhornense – M. empusa – M. eremitus – M. eumera – M. eurycercus – M. fasciatus – M. femurnigrum – M. femurrubrum – M. flabellatus – M. flavidus – M. flechado – M. foedus – M. forcipatus – M. foxi – M. franciscanus – M. francisdrakei – M. fricki – M. frigidus – M. fultoni – M. furcatus – M. gaspesiensis – M. gladstoni – M. glaucipes – M. glymma – M. goedeni – M. gordonae – M. gothicus – M. gracilipes – M. gracilis – M. gurneyi – M. haigi – M. harperi – M. harrisi – M. hatu – M. herbaceus – M. hesperus – M. hilliardi – M. hinei – M. hubbelli – M. hupah – M. huporeus – M. huroni – M. idaho – M. illash – M. immunis – M. impudicus – M. imtenda – M. imto – M. inconspicuus – M. indicifer – M. indigens – M. infantilis – M. ingrami – M. islandicus – M. ixalus – M. jakei – M. janus – M. jenniferae – M. jessicae – M. jillae – M. jucundus – M. juvencus – M. kasadi – M. keeleri – M. keiferi – M. kendalli – M. kennicotti – M. kissimmee – M. knowlesi – M. lakinus – M. lanthanus – M. lapollai – M. latah – M. latifercula – M. laurelae – M. lemhiensis – M. lemurus – M. lepidus – M. ligneolus – M. lilianae – M. lithophilus – M. littoralis – M. lolo – M. longicornis – M. longipsolus – M. lovetti – M. ludivinae – M. macclungi – M. madeleineae – M. magdalenae – M. mancus – M. mantua – M. marginatus – M. marshallii – M. mastigiphallus – M. mcnaryi – M. meridae – M. meridionalis – M. mexicanus – M. microtatus – M. middlekauffi – M. mirus – M. missoulae – M. mixes – M. mogollona – M. molothrus – M. montanus – M. morsei – M. muricolor – M. murieta – M. nanciae – M. nanus – M. napa – M. neomexicanus – M. nigrescens – M. nitidus – M. nossi – M. novato – M. nubilus – M. nufioi – M. oaxacae – M. obespsolus – M. obex – M. occidentalis – M. ohadi – M. oklahomae – M. olamentke – M. ordwayae – M. oregonensis – M. oregonis – M. oreophilus – M. ostentus – M. ourayensis – M. pachycercus – M. packardii – M. pahgre – M. papoosense – M. papyraedus – M. parvus – M. payettei – M. peatus – M. pegasus – M. peninsularis – M. perezi – M. phobetico – M. picropidzae – M. pictus – M. pinaleno – M. pinctus – M. pinicola – M. platycercus – M. plebejus – M. ponderosus – M. prescotti – M. primaestivus – M. propinquus – M. puer – M. punctulatus – M. pygmaeus – M. pyro – M. quercicola – M. querneus – M. reflexus – M. regalis – M. rehni – M. rentzi – M. repetinus – M. reyesensis – M. rileyanus – M. rosor – M. rotundipennis – M. rugglesi – M. rusticus – M. salmonis – M. saltator – M. sanguinipes – M. scapularis – M. scitulus – M. scudderi – M. sebringi – M. seminole – M. serrulatus – M. shoshoni – M. similis – M. siskiyou – M. snowii – M. sol – M. solitarius – M. solitudinis – M. sonomaensis – M. spearmani – M. splendidus – M. stegocercus – M. stipes – M. stonei – M. strumosus – M. stupefactus – M. sumichrasti – M. sutanex – M. sylvaticus – M. sylvestris – M. symmetricus – M. tendoyense – M. tepidus – M. tequestae – M. terminalis – M. texanus – M. thomasi – M. tincupense – M. torridus – M. trachodes – M. triangularis – M. tribuloides – M. tribulus – M. trigeminus – M. trinitense – M. tristis – M. truncatus – M. tuberculatus – M. tumidicercus – M. tunicae – M. uinta – M. utahensis – M. validus – M. viola – M. virgatus – M. viridipes – M. vulnus – M. wai – M. walshii – M. wappo – M. warneri – M. washingtonius – M. wilsoni – M. wintunus – M. withingtoni – M. withlacoocheensis – M. xenus – M. yarrowi – M. zabro – M. zento – M. zeus – †M. spretus
Name

Melanoplus Stål, 1873

Primary references

Stål 1873: Recensio Orth., 1, 79.

References

Barrientos-Lozano, L.; Rocha-Sánchez, A.Y.; Horta-Vega, J.V. 2013: Two new species of Melanoplus Stål, 1873 (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae) from northeastern Mexico. Zootaxa 3669(3): 261–286. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3669.3.4 Reference page.
ZooBank

Melanoplus is a large genus of grasshoppers. They are the typical large grasshoppers (and in some cases migratory "locusts") in North America. A common name is spur-throat grasshoppers (also "spurthroat" or "spur-throated grasshoppers"), but this more typically refers to members of the related subfamily Catantopinae.

The largest grasshoppers of this genus can reach nearly 5 cm (2.0 in) in length, but most are smaller. Some are intricately patterned and colorful, others are drab.

Melanoplus species eat grasses of all kinds, as well as leafy and grassy agricultural crops and garden plants. They feed on the leaves, and sometimes fruit, flowers, and buds, as well as tree bark. Many of the more notable agricultural pest grasshoppers belong here, including the Rocky Mountain locust, the most significant insect pest of the 19th century Great Plains, but now extinct.[1]
Selected species

New species are often being discovered and described in this genus where speciation runs rampant in isolated areas, involving speciation by hybridization.[2]

Melanoplus adelogyrus – Volusia grasshopper, St. Johns short-wing grasshopper
Melanoplus alpinus – alpine grasshopper
Melanoplus angustipennis – narrow-winged sand grasshopper, narrow-winged spur-throat grasshopper
Melanoplus bispinosus – two-spined spurthroated grasshopper
Melanoplus bivittatus – two-striped grasshopper
Melanoplus borealis – northern spur-throat grasshopper
Melanoplus bowditchi – sagebrush grasshopper
Melanoplus bruneri – Bruner's spur-throat grasshopper
Melanoplus confusus – pasture grasshopper
Melanoplus dawsonii – Dawson's grasshopper
Melanoplus devastator – devastating grasshopper
Melanoplus differentialis – differential grasshopper
Melanoplus femurrubrum – red-legged grasshopper
Melanoplus foedus – striped sand grasshopper
Melanoplus foxi Hebard, 1923
Melanoplus gladstoni – Gladston's (spur-throat) grasshopper
Melanoplus infantilis – little spur-throat grasshopper
Melanoplus keeleri – Keeler's spur-throat grasshopper
Melanoplus kennicotti – Kennicott grasshopper
Melanoplus lakinus – Lakin grasshopper
Melanoplus ludivinae Fontana, Buzzetti & Marino-Perez, 2011[3]
Melanoplus mixes Fontana, Buzzetti & Marino-Perez, 2011[3]
Melanoplus nossi– Noss' spur throat grasshopper
Melanoplus oaxacae Fontana, Buzzetti & Marino-Perez, 2011[3]
Melanoplus occidentalis – flabellate grasshopper
Melanoplus packardii – Packard's grasshopper
Melanoplus punctulatus – pine tree spur-throat grasshopper
Melanoplus rugglesi – Nevada sage grasshopper
Melanoplus sanguinipes – migratory grasshopper
Melanoplus scudderi – Scudder's short-winged grasshopper
†Melanoplus spretus – Rocky Mountain locust (extinct: 1902)
Melanoplus stonei – Stone's grasshopper
Melanoplus viridipes – green-legged grasshopper
Melanoplus walshii – Walsh's short-wing grasshopper