Short-Horned Grasshoppers

Family Acrididae

Migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes). Photo:Stephanie Boucher

Acrididae are plant feeders, and they are often very destructive to vegetation. This family includes most of the grasshoppers that are common in meadows and along roadsides from mid-summer to fall and also the majority of economically important grasshoppers and all true locusts. Males sing during the day by rubbing the inner surface of the hind femur against the lower edge of the front wing. Acrididae detect sounds using a membrane called the tympanum on each side of the first abdominal segment. Acrididae are small to large insects, varying from short and stout to long and slender. They are usually gray, brownish or green in colour, some have brightly coloured hind wings. The front and hind wings are fully developed or totally lacking. The ovipositor is short.

Distribution of Migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes) in Canada