New Mexico

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New Mexico
New Mexico is within:
Country:United States of America

New Mexico is located in the southwestern United States and features a diverse landscape of arid deserts, grasslands, and forested mountain ranges. The state's climate varies from hot, dry lowlands to cooler, high-altitude regions, creating a range of habitats for grasshoppers. The majority of species do not pose agricultural threats although certain grasshoppers can become pests during droughts or population surges, potentially damaging rangeland and crops.

State ecology

New Mexico features diverse landscapes and climates across multiple biogeographic provinces that provide habitats for many species of grasshoppers.[1] Grasshopper diversity is greatest in the warm semi-arid grasslands and shrublands. However, they appear along a gradient from low-elevation hot, dry deserts to the cool, moist meadows and woodlands. [2] [3] Most grasshoppers in New Mexico deposit their eggs in the soil during late summer or autumn. These eggs remain in the soil throughout the winter and hatch in late spring when temperature and moisture conditions become favorable.[4] The majority of common grasshoppers in New Mexico are summer species, including the migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes), the big-headed grasshopper (Aulocara elliotti), and the white-whiskered grasshopper (Ageneotettix deorum), most other Melanoplus species, and Trimerotropis species, among others.[3]

Some New Mexico grasshoppers follow a different cycle, hatching in late summer, developing through several instars, and overwintering as nymphs. They resume activity in spring, with adults laying eggs by midsummer. Known as spring species, common examples include Cibolacris parviceps, the red-shanked grasshopper (Xanthippus corallipes), the speckled rangeland grasshopper (Arphia conspersa), and the brown-spotted range grasshopper (Psoloessa delicatula). Other variations include high-elevation species with two-year cycles, eggs that remain dormant for years, and species like the pallid-winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis) in southern New Mexico, which can produce two generations in one summer. [3] Some species, like M. sanguinipes and T. pallidipennis, are widespread across various habitats, elevations, and regions. Others have more specific habitat requirements. For example, Melanoplus magdalenus is limited to high-elevation meadows in west-central New Mexico, Cibolacris samalayucae to certain sand dunes, and Anconia hebardi to specific salt flats in south-central New Mexico, west Texas, and north-central Mexico.

[3] The smallest grasshopper in New Mexico are male Texas spotted range grasshoppers (Psoloessa texana) at around 10 mm and the largest being female gray bird grasshoppers (Schistocerca nitens) that measure about 70 mm. Size often differs geographically, particularly in relation to elevation—individuals of the same species tend to be smaller at higher elevations compared to those at lower elevations.[3]

For a more detailed description of grasshopper distribution in New Mexico, see page 9 of Richman et al 1993. [3]

Highlighted species from New Mexico

Species Official common name Image
Aeoloplides turnbulli Turnbull’s grasshopper
Aeropedellus clavatus Club-horned grasshopper
Ageneotettix deorum White-whiskered grasshopper
Amphitornus coloradus Striped grasshopper
Anabrus simplex Mormon cricket
Arphia conspersa Speckled rangeland grasshopper
Arphia pseudo-nietana Red-winged grasshopper
Aulocara elliotti Big-headed grasshopper
Aulocara femoratum White cross grasshopper
Boopedon nubilum Ebony grasshopper
Brachystola magna Plains lubber grasshopper
Camnula pellucida Clear-winged grasshopper
Chortophaga viridifasciata Northern green-striped grasshopper
Cordillacris crenulata Crenulated winged grasshopper
Cordillacris crenulata Crenulated winged grasshopper
Cordillacris occipitalis Western spotted-winged grasshopper
Derotmema haydenii Hayden's grasshopper
Dissosteira carolina Carolina grasshopper
Dissosteira longipennis High plains grasshopper
Encoptolophus costalis Dusky grasshopper
Eritettix simplex Velvet-striped grasshopper
Hadrotettix trifasciatus Threebanded grasshopper
Hesperotettix viridis Meadow purple-striped grasshopper
Melanoplus angustipennis Narrow-winged sand grasshopper
Melanoplus bivittatus Two-striped grasshopper
Melanoplus bowditchi Sagebrush grasshopper
Melanoplus bruneri Bruner spur-throated grasshopper
Melanoplus confusus Pasture grasshopper
Melanoplus dawsoni Dawson's spur-throat grasshopper
Melanoplus differentialis Differential grasshopper
Melanoplus differentialis Differential grasshopper
Melanoplus femurrubrum Red-legged grasshopper
Melanoplus foedus Striped sand grasshopper
Melanoplus gladstoni Gladston grasshopper
Melanoplus infantilis Little spur-throated grasshopper
Melanoplus kennicottii Kennicott's spur-throat grasshopper
Melanoplus lakinus Lakin grasshopper
Melanoplus occidentalis Occidental grasshopper
Melanoplus packardii Packard grasshopper
Melanoplus sanguinipes Migratory grasshopper
Mermiria bivittata Two-striped mermiria grasshopper
Metator pardalinus Blue-legged grasshopper
Orphulella speciosa Pasture grasshopper
Phlibostroma quadrimaculatum Four-spotted grasshopper File:File:Fld-Phqu2N01-03.jpg
Phoetaliotes nebrascensis Large-headed grasshopper
Pseudochorthippus curtipennis Marsh meadow grasshopper
Psoloessa delicatula Brown-spotted range grasshopper
Spharagemon collare Mottled sand grasshopper
Spharagemon equale Say's grasshopper
Trachyrhachys aspera Finned grasshopper
Trachyrhachys kiowa Kiowa grasshopper
Trimerotropis pallidipennis Pallid-winged grasshopper
Xanthippus corallipes Red-shanked grasshopper


Species of management concern

Grasshoppers in New Mexico Extension News 1951

In New Mexico, M. sanguinipes, several other Melanoplus species, the clear-winged grasshopper (Camnula pellucida), Hesperotettix viridis, and T. pallidipennis often show highly variable population densities, sometimes reaching outbreak levels. Most other species, while experiencing fluctuations, generally remain at lower densities.[3] Optimal conditions for summer grasshoppers in New Mexico include a mild autumn for egg laying, a cool, wet winter for plant growth, and a dry, warm spring for nymph development. Species prone to high densities, like M. sanguinipes, typically build up over several years, with populations rising for 2–5 years before peaking in an outbreak year.[5] Whether populations continue to grow or peak depends largely on weather—favorable conditions support growth, while unfavorable years can slow or halt the increase. [3] Grasshopper populations are influenced by predators and parasites, though weather plays a larger role. Key predators in New Mexico include birds, robber flies, and hunting wasps, while rodents, bee fly larvae, blister beetle larvae, and ground beetles prey on eggs. Notable parasites include fly larvae, the protozoan Nosema locustae, and the fungus Entomophthora grylli. [3]

View U.S. Grasshopper Forecast Hazard Maps


Grasshopper management

Certain North American Indian tribes, including the Navajo, recognized grasshoppers as pests. They observed their link to drought and noted that females laid eggs in the soil.[6] To protect crops, the Navajo used plant extracts, such as Oxytropis lambertii and Phlox stansburyi, though their effectiveness is unknown. [6] Since the 1500s, subsistence farming was widespread in New Mexico's non-Indian communities. Drought and grasshoppers influenced crops, livestock, settlement growth, hunting, and local economies, as in other parts of the West.[7] For some firsthand accounts of grasshopper and locust outbreaks in this time period see Briggs 1934.[7]

The first recorded grasshopper plagues in New Mexico occurred in 1927. By the early 1930s, their numbers steadily increased in several northern counties during a prolonged drought. In 1933, the New Mexico legislature allocated $2,000 for grasshopper control, but this was insufficient for the drought-stricken state. The vast infested areas and high costs of bait and application hindered early state and local control efforts. In 1934, Congress allocated over $2.3 million for national grasshopper control, providing New Mexico with 460 tons of sodium arsenate-bran bait, which helped reduce infestations (USDA environmental impact statements within Richman et al 1993). [3] By the early 1950s, a grasshopper outbreak was developing in northern New Mexico.[8] Sodium arsenate bait had been replaced by aldrin, chlordane, and toxaphene, with recommendations to treat hatching sites, field margins, and infested areas before nymphs matured and dispersed. [3]

By the mid-1950s, the USDA’s Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, now APHIS, and state agencies began systematic grasshopper surveys across New Mexico and other western rangelands, targeting high-population areas for chemical control. USDA entomologist Lee Seaton (1955–1964) started recording grasshopper identifications statewide, a practice continued by APHIS, New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service, and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. [3] Today, APHIS continues to monitor and mange grasshoppers in New Mexico. Control is predominantly done with chemical methods using carbaryl, malathion, and diflubenzuron.

Select photos from New Mexico


Outbreaks

USDA bulletin No. 293 grasshopper outbreaks in 1913[9]

1868: Swarms of the Rocky Mountain locust moved through New Mexico. [1]

1913: Outbreak of Dissosteira longipennis in New Mexico during the summer of 1913 extended about 500 square miles, impacting cattle grazing and crops. Trains were stopped by grasshoppers massing on the tracks. [9]

1927: First recorded grasshopper plague in the state.[3]

Early 1930s: Populations increased in northern counties during a prolonged drought. (USDA environmental impact statements within Richman et al 1993). [3]

1950s: An outbreak developed in northern New Mexico.[8]

1967/68: Major outbreak covered over 5.5 million acres, with 19 counties severely affected.[10]

1979: Peak of cooperative control efforts, with 1.5 million acres treated. [3]

Organizations

Organization name Acronym Website Type Focus Focus keywords
Albuquerque Journal https://www.abqjournal.com/ Private Sector Media
National Grasshopper Management Board NGMB https://www.sites.google.com/site/ngmborg/home Non-profit Organization Governance, Management Coordination, Natural sciences
New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service CES https://extension.nmsu.edu/ University Education, Research, Monitoring, Management Extension
New Mexico State University https://www.nmsu.edu/ University Education
New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/ University Education, Research, Monitoring, Management Extension
Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program at the United States Department of Agriculture https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/grasshopper-mormon-cricket/ct_grasshopper_mormon_cricket Government Management, Education, Information Hub Control, Forecasting, Monitoring


Resources

Name Year published Resource link Descriptive keyword Language Author
A Manual of the Grasshoppers of New Mexico 1993 https://hopperwiki.org/images/5/57/A_Manual_of_the_Grasshoppers_of_New_Mexico.pdf morphology, Biology, Life cycle, natural history, Natural sciences, Behavior, Population dynamics, New Mexico, Management, estimation of grasshopper densities, insecticide, Biological control, Keys to New Mexico grasshoppers, Indigenous knowledge, History, county map distribution, Distribution, glossary, Species identification, annotated alphabetical list of New Mexico grasshoppers English New Mexico State University, New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service, D.B. Richman, D.C. Lightfoot, C.A. Sutherland, DJ. Ferguson4
ARS grasshopper species fact sheets 1994 https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/sidney-mt/northern-plains-agricultural-research-laboratory/pest-management-research/pmru-docs/grasshoppers-their-biology-identification-and-management/ipm-handbook/grasshopper-species-fact-sheets-scientific-name/ Management, Species identification English Agricultural Research Services, United States Department of Agriculture, Robert E Pfadt
CARMA https://johnhastings.herokuapp.com/carma/index.html Prototype cropland, Advice, Rangeland management, Crop health, Grasshoppers, Infestations, Outbreaks English Scott Shell Extension Entomology, University of Wyoming
Court rejects federal pesticide-spraying program on millions of acres of western rangelands 2025 https://www.xerces.org/press/court-rejects-federal-pesticide-spraying-program-on-millions-of-acres-of-western-rangelands Ecology, Spraying, Chemical control, Infestations, Management, Governance, Conservation, Land use management, Habitat English Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Field Guide to Common Western Grasshoppers 2002 https://hopperwiki.org/images/d/db/Field_Guide_to_Common_Western_Grasshoppers.pdf Species identification English United States Department of Agriculture, Robert E. Pfadt
Grasshopper infestation continues after pesticide spray canceled 2023 https://www.abqjournal.com/news/agriculture/article_78ce16ca-2027-11ee-88c5-7354b9831b87.html Spraying, Ecology, Environmental science, Infestations, Emergency response, Chemical control, Grazing English Albuquerque Journal, Alaina Mencinger
Grasshopper Integrated Pest Management User Handbook 2000 https://hopperwiki.org/images/0/03/Grasshopper_Integrated_Pest_Management_User_Handbook.pdf Biological control, Chemical control, Monitoring, Modeling, Population dynamics, Rangeland management, Decision making English Agricultural Research Services, United States Department of Agriculture
Grasshopper watch 2022 https://www.agproud.com/articles/55887-grasshopper-watch Grasshoppers English Ag Proud
Grasshoppers Are Descending on the West in Swarms 2021 https://slate.com/technology/2021/07/grasshoppers-drought-farming-west-swarms.html Grasshoppers English Slate Magazine
Grasshoppers of the Western United States https://idtools.org/grasshoppers/ Management, Species identification English United States Department of Agriculture
Grasshoppers their habits and damage 1964 https://hopperwiki.org/images/d/d0/Grasshoppers_their_habits_and_damage.pdf Grasshoppers, Outbreaks, natural enemies, Ecology, Habitat, Quality illustrations, Species identification English United States Department of Agriculture
Hopper helper https://hopperwiki.org/images/1/13/Hopper_helper.pdf Survey, Life cycle, Species identification, Integrated pest management English Wendal Cushing
Las Vegas resident shares experience as swarms of grasshoppers return to valley 2024 https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/las-vegas-resident-shares-experience-as-swarms-of-grasshoppers-return-to-valley/ Outbreaks English KLAS 8 News Now
Mega Disasters: Super Swarms of Locusts 2021 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x86l1o1 General locust education, Video English History Channel
Montana.gov grasshopper field guides https://fieldguide.mt.gov/displaySpecies.aspx?family=Acrididae Species identification, Management, Biology English
Mormon cricket 'sludge' blankets northern Nevada roads causing crashes 2024 https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/mormon-cricket-sludge-blankets-northern-nevada-roads-causing-crashes/ Media article, Outbreaks English KLAS 8 News Now
Overview of the APHIS Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW3XEnCzEto&ab_channel=USDAAPHIS Management, Chemical control, Grasshoppers, Governance, Video English USDA-APHIS-PPQ-Science & Technology-Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (Phoenix Station), United States Department of Agriculture
Overview of the APHIS Rangeland Grasshopper and Moron Cricket Suppression Program 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW3XEnCzEto Video, Grasshoppers, Management English United States Department of Agriculture, APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine
Pest Grasshoppers of the West 2005 https://hopperwiki.org/images/b/be/Pest_Grasshoppers_of_the_West.pdf Management, Species identification English University of Wyoming
Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket suppression program 2019 https://hopperwiki.org/images/1/15/Rangeland_Grasshopper_and_Mormon_Cricket_suppression_program.pdf Public health, Governance, Culture, Grasshoppers, Economics, Environmental assessment, Life cycle, Biology English United States Department of Agriculture
Reduced Agent and Area Treatments https://www.uwyo.edu/entomology/grasshoppers/raat/index.html Integrated pest management, Chemical control, Biological control, Economics English University of Wyoming
Site-specific environmental assessment 2018 https://hopperwiki.org/images/7/7f/Site-specific_environmental_assessment.pdf Early warning, Ecology, Public health, Social science, Culture, insecticide, Infestations, Environmental assessment, Rangeland management, Pesticides English Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
The Grasshoppers of the Western U.S. Lucid mobile app 2016 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lucidcentral.mobile.aphis.grasshoppers&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1 Management, Species identification English USDA-APHIS-PPQ-Science & Technology-Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (Phoenix Station), United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology of the USDA, University of Nebraska, Chadron State College
USDA APHIS-PPQ-Science & Technology Phoenix Lab Rangeland Unit project summary 2021 Summary English, Spanish, French USDA-APHIS-PPQ-Science & Technology-Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (Phoenix Station), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Scudder SH, Cockerell TDA (1904) A first list of the Orthoptera of New Mexico. Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences 9: 1–60. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924018274955&seq=13
  2. ↑ Otte D (1976) Species richness patterns of New World desert grasshoppers in relation to plant diversity. Journal of Biogeography 3: 197–209. https://doi.org/10.2307/3038010
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 Richman DB, Lightfoot DC, Sutherland CA, Ferguson DJ (1993) Manual of the grasshoppers of New Mexico - Orthoptera: Acrididae and Romaleidae. Handbook 7. New Mexico State University Library. https://nmsu.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/AgCircs/id/63174/
  4. ↑ Hewitt GB (1979) Hatching and development of rangeland grasshoppers in relation to forage growth, temperature, and precipitation. Environmental Entomology 8: 24–29.
  5. ↑ Pfadt RE (1977) Some aspects of the ecology of grasshopper populations inhabiting the shortgrass plains. Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 310: 73–79.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wyman LC and Bailey FL (1964) Navaho Indian ethnoentomology. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. 158 pp.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Briggs HE (1934) Grasshopper plagues and early Dakota agriculture, 1864-1876. Agricultural History 8:51–63. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3739497
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Moore LH (1951) Grasshoppers pose threat again in certain areas of New Mexico. New Mexico Ext. News 31:5.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Smith HE (1915) The grasshopper outbreak in New Mexico during the summer of 1913. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. Bulletin No. 293. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.64418
  10. ↑ Durkin J (1967) Hopper forecast grim. New Mexico Extension News (Spring 1968): 6–7.
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