Gray bird grasshopper (Schistocerca nitens)

Schistocerca nitens
Taxonomic classification
Suborder:	Caelifera
Family:	Acrididae
Subfamily:	Cyrtacanthacridinae
Tribe:	Cyrtacanthacridini
Genus:	Schistocerca
Scientific name
Schistocerca nitens (Thunberg, 1815)
Synonyms:	Schistocerca vaga
Geography
Native countries:
British Virgin Islands Costa Rica Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Antigua and Barbuda Belize Martinique Guatemala Guyana Honduras Anguilla Colombia Peru Suriname Aruba El Salvador Grenada Guadeloupe Haiti Mexico Panama Puerto Rico French Guiana Ecuador Nicaragua Saint Kitts and Nevis Trinidad and Tobago Curaçao Dominican Republic United States United States Virgin Islands Venezuela Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin (French part) Sint Maarten (Dutch part)
Traits
Diet:	Shrubs, Forbs, Grasses and sedges

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Taxonomy

For full nomenclature and taxonomic details of this taxon, see Orthoptera Species File

Subspecies for this species

• Schistocerca nitens nitens (Thunberg, 1815)
• Schistocerca nitens columbina (Thunberg, 1824)
• Schistocerca nitens virginica Dirsh, 1974

Distribution

In the US, Schistocerca nitens is found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Nevada, and California. Its range extends south to Columbia, and populations on some Caribbean islands have been proposed as separate species. Schistocerca nitens has also been introduced to Hawaii.

Identification

Nymphs are variable in color, and are usually solid lime-green, but can also be solid yellow, and later instars may have black or brown spotting and patches.

Biology

Habitat and Ecology

Schistocerca nitens is found in deserts, arid grasslands, shrublands, montane forests, and rainforests. It is also common in urban and agricultural areas.