Two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus)

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Two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus)
Two-striped grasshopper
Distribution
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia (U.S. state), Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador
Taxonomy
Family:Acrididae
Subfamily:Melanoplinae
Genus:Melanoplus
Additional resources
Full taxonomy at OSF

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The two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) is a notable spur-throated species prevalent in North America. It can be recognized by the two distinctive pale yellow stripes that converge to form a V-shape on its back. They have a brownish to yellowish-green coloration, which is due to their unique chromoproteins and carotenoids. Found throughout North America, this species plays an important role in the ecosystem, often influencing management practices due to their capacity to damage crop and pasture land.[1]

Nomenclature

Melanoplus bivittatus (Say, 1825). For full nomenclature, see this taxon's page on Orthoptera Species File


Identification

Melanoplus bivittatus is a relatively large grasshopper species with distinguishing features. It has two pale yellow stripes extending from the back of the eyes, across the lateral lobes of the pronotum, to the tips of the forewings and they converge to form a triangular shape.[2] On the head and the pronotum, the stripes are usually bordered below with black.[3] M. bivittatus ranges from green to brown with black markings.[4] These grasshoppers are usually 26 to 40 mm (1.0 to 1.6 inches) in length and have a solid longitudinal black stripe on their hind legs.[5] This species is easy to identify among the Melanoplus group because it is one of the two largest species in the genus, with the other one being Melanoplus differentials. [5]

Instar Color Wings Body length [6]
1 green, yellowish-green, brown, with black marking 5 - 6.6 mm
2 green, yellowish-green, brown, with black marking 7.4 - 10.4 mm
3 green, yellowish-green, brown, with black marking 9 - 14 mm
4 green, yellowish-green, brown, with black marking 15 - 21 mm
5 green, yellowish-green, brown, with black marking 20 - 27 mm
Adult male green, yellowish-green, brown, with black marking Long, brown or blackish. Tegmina are dark and are not spotted. Hindwings are clear, not banded or patterned.[7] 28 - 30 mm
Adult female green, yellowish-green, brown, with black marking Long, brown or blackish. Tegmina are dark and are not spotted. Hindwings are clear, not banded or patterned. [7] 36 - 41 mm

Identification resources

Name Year published Resource link Descriptive keyword Language Geographic purview Author Year published
Field crop and forage pests and their natural enemies in Western Canada 2018 View URL Agriculturist guide, Education, Infographic, Management, Species identification, Integrated pest management English Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2018
Field Guide to Common Western Grasshoppers 2002 View URL Species identification English United States of America United States Department of Agriculture 2002
Grasshoppers of the Western United States View URL Management, Species identification English United States of America United States Department of Agriculture
Montana.gov grasshopper field guides View URL Species identification, Management, Biology English United States of America
Rangeland Grasshopper Management View URL Management, Species identification English United States of America University of Wyoming
The Grasshoppers of the Western U.S. Lucid mobile app 2016 View URL Management, Species identification English United States of America 2016
USDA ARS grasshopper species fact sheets View URL Management, Species identification English United States of America Agricultural Research Services, United States Department of Agriculture



Distribution

This grasshopper is very widely distributed across North America and all the Canadian provinces, abundant in Montana and barely found in Florida.[8] Their range extends from British Columbia to Newfoundland in Canada and extends southward to regions as far as California on the west coast to Georgia on the east coast in the United States.[4] The adults are capable of dispersal and migration flights at altitudes 1,400 feet above the ground and they develop longer wings and slimmer bodies when present in high density.[2]

Biology

Research conducted on the newly emerged adults of Melanoplus bivittatus between 1938 and 1941, found that the average number of eggs per pod were 129, and the maximum number of eggs laid by the females was found to be 125.[9] These eggs are elongated cylinders, tapering to blunt points, with an olive coloration, and are approximately 5 mm in length and 1.2mm in diameter.[10] The females lay their eggs in 2 pods.[1] These pods are curved, 30 - 38 mm in length and 6 - 7 mm in diameter. These pods are inserted into the soil 2 - 5 cm deep and are topped off with a frothy plug. M. bivittatus oviposition sites tend to be along fence rows, ditch banks, and pastures with compact, undisturbed soil. [10] The eggs are laid in the soil during the winter and hatch by late April to early May.[11] These eggs begin embryonic growth in the summer of deposition and attain 60 to 80 percent development before they go into diapause for the winter. When soil temperatures rise in spring, the embryos complete development, and hatching begins.[12]

After hatching, nymphs emerge from these eggs takes the 43.3 days on average to turn into adults.[1] This adult stage usually comes around the first part of summer.[6] After turning into an adult, they take 6.4 days to start copulating.[12] The females take 18.4 days to begin oviposition, with favorable conditions of 72F air temperature, 66F soil temperature [1], and 10 to 20% soil moisture levels.[5]

Habitat and ecology

Melanoplus bivittatus is a polyphagous species that is adaptable and found in a variety of habitats. It is abundant in wet meadows, tallgrass prairie, dense vegetation along water courses, fence rows, roadsides, ditch banks, disturbed weedy areas, in fallow fields, and along crop borders.[10] [3] [6] These grasshoppers usually exhibit migratory behavior during their nymphal and adult stages, and they move in high densities when they reach third or older instars. They feed on a variety of grasses, forbs, trees, shrubs, and many cultivated plants. Their main food sources are plants like forbs and lentil crops. They consume mustards, flixweed, pepperweed, broadleaf plantain, legumes like alfalfa and red clover, and composites such as greenflower, dandelion, chicory, prickly lettuce, giant ragweed, and arrowleaf butterbur. Ball mustard, western ragweed, prairie sunflower, perennial sowthistle, kochia, and leadplant might also be primary host plants. Additionally, the twostriped grasshopper consumes dry litter found on the ground. [6]

During colder weather, below 25C, they stop feeding.[8] In times of food shortage, the two-striped grasshopper has been observed resorting to cannibalism as a survival strategy.[13] Natural enemies include at least 12 species of parasitic insects, two nematode species, parasitic mites, and also bacterial pathogens.[14]

Land-use change

Numbers of Melanoplus bivittatus started to increase around 1928, when agricultural development in the west fostered large populations of the insect. [6] Early settlers unintentionally introduced nutritious host plants for these grasshoppers by sowing seeds of various weeds with their crops. These weeds flourished along crop borders, roadsides, and ditch banks, providing ideal egg-laying sites. These factors and favorable weather conditions supported their population growth which led to one of the worst outbreaks in 1931. In urban areas the twostriped grasshopper is a common pest of flowers and vegetables. [6]

Due to the drought weather conditions in Southern Alberta in 2023, grasshopper populations have increased significantly. The two-striped grasshopper has become one of the three main species attacking crops in Idaho.[15] These dry climate-loving insects invaded the Western United States too, in 2021, where they have easily outcompeted larger animals for grass. [16]

Pest status

The twostriped grasshopper is a significant pest for crops, inflicting substantial damage to small grains, alfalfa, and corn. During severe infestations, it can decimate entire crops. [6] A density of 10 adult grasshoppers per square yard in a cornfield can lead to complete defoliation. However, sorghum plants taller than 6 inches are largely resistant to their attacks. Research shows that when feeding on spring wheat, the twostriped grasshopper wastes six times more foliage than it consumes. [6] This species can cause crop damage all through its life cycle. They consume leaves of numerous plants and the damage caused by them is greatest in areas adjacent to weeds. Not only do M. bivittatus damage crops, but they tend to eat the reproductive parts of the plants, so the likelihood of regeneration or reproduction is slim.[11]

Outbreaks

In the 1930s, Melanoplus bivittatus, along with Melanoplus differentialis destroyed 75 percent of the crops over an area of 17,000 square miles[17] and were responsible for the destruction of crops in an area of 30,000 square miles in South Dakota and Northeastern Nebraska. [1] These grasshoppers would often enter houses, leave salivary secretions on clothes, and chew holes in curtains and upholstery. They also became a nuisance to motorists, as they would fly into the driver’s face, and windshields of cars were smeared by the crushed bodies of these grasshoppers, which often caused accidents that led to some unfortunate deaths. They had some similar outbreaks in Minnesota, Kansas, Oowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Arkansas and Texas.[1] The two-striped grasshopper is still considered a major crop pest today.

Media coverage

Associated organizations

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Resources

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References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Shotwell RL (1941) Life histories and habits of some grasshoppers of economic importance on the Great Plains (Vol. Technical Bulletin No. 774). United States Department of Agriculture.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Schell SP, Latchininsky AV, Shambaugh BA (2005) Common Wyoming Pest Grasshoppers. 2nd Edition B-1161. Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service and Department of Renewable Resources. 76 p.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Montana Field Guide (n.d.) Two-Striped Grasshopper - Melanoplus bivittatus. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from  https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IIORT01090
  4. 4.0 4.1 Vickery VR and Kevan DKM (1985) The grasshopper, crickets, and related insects of Canada and adjacent regions. Biosystematics Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario. Publication Number 1777. 918 pp. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/aac-aafc/agrhist/A42-42-1985-14-eng.pdf
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Government of Alberta (n.d.) Two-Striped Grasshopper. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://www.alberta.ca/two-striped-grasshopper
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Pfadt RE (2002) Field Guide to Common Western Grasshoppers, 3rd edition. Laramie, WY: Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 912, modified by S. Schell and S. Schell for electronic publication. Accessed 9 May 2024. http://www.uwyo.edu/entomology/grasshoppers/field-guide/index.html#fieldguidetoc
  7. 7.0 7.1 two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) http://minnesotaseasons.com/ Accessed 4 June 2024. http://minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/two-striped_grasshopper.html
  8. 8.0 8.1 Harrison JF and Fewell JH (1995) Thermal Effects on Feeding Behavior and Net Energy Intake in a Grasshopper Experiencing Large Diurnal Fluctuations in Body Temperature. Physiological Zoology. 68 (3): 453–473.
  9. Drake CJ, Decker GC, OE Tauber (1945) Observations on oviposition and adult survival of some grasshoppers of economic importance. Iowa State College Journal of Science. 19: 207-223.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Capinera JL (2008) Twostriped grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus (Say), (Orthoptera: Acrididae). In Encyclopedia of Entomology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6359-6_2603
  11. 11.0 11.1 Olfert O and Slinkard A (1999) Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) damage to flowers and pods of lentil (Lens culinaris L.). Crop Protection. 18 (8): 527–530. doi:10.1016/s0261-2194(99)00056-3
  12. 12.0 12.1 Agricultural Research Service (n.d.) Two Striped Grasshopper: Melanoplus bivittatus (say) [Fact Sheet]. U. S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/30320505/grasshopper/Extras/PDFs/Species%20Fact%20Sheets/2striped.pdf
  13. Gangwere SK (1961) A monograph on food selection in Orthoptera. Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 2 (87): 67–230
  14. Beirne BP (1972) Pest insects of annual crop plants in Canada. IV. Hemiptera-Homoptera, V. Orthoptera, VI. Other groups. Volumes 78-85 of Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada. 84:1-73.
  15. Jaynes L (2022) Grasshopper watch. Ag Proud. https://www.agproud.com/articles/55887-grasshopper-watch
  16. Woodruff G (2021) Grasshoppers, drought, farming, West, swarms. Slate. https://slate.com/technology/2021/07/grasshoppers-drought-farming-west-swarms.html
  17. Parker JR and Shotwell RL (1932) Devastation of a Large Area by the Differential and the Two-Striped Grasshoppers. Journal of Economic Entomology. 25 (2): 174–187. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/25.2.174