EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Each week a different image of our fascinating environment is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional ecologist.

8-14 July 2024

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Sonoran Desert Grasshopper

Grasshopper (Melanoplus sp.), Family Acrididae
Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA

Credit & Copyright: Dr. Bruce G. Marcot

Explanation:  In the arid Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, USA, reside a number of orthopteran species -- locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers.  This week stars the last of these, which I have tentatively identified as a spur-throated grasshopper, or a species member of the genus Melanoplus (exact species to be identified).

Identifying grasshopper species of this genus can be problematic.  For one, there may be as many as 239 North American species of this genus!  And many species may look alike.  And some might require additional taxonomic research to determine their true species status.  And ... the list goes on.

Regardless, grasshoppers of this genus and others can occasionally occur in locust-like swarms, such as occurred in 2023 after a particularly wet winter.  

  



      

Next week's picture:  Crab-eater With the Long Tail

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