Redlegged Grasshopper – Melanoplus femurrubrum
Red-legged Grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum)
Common Name: Red-legged Grasshopper
Latin Name: Melanoplus femurrubrum
Appearance:
The Red-legged Grasshopper becomes its name from its bright red hind legs, which are in opposition to the rest of its body. Its body is patterned to help it blend in with its grassy environment, giving it a brownish or olive-green color. Although it varies, the body length is typically one to one and a half inches. Like many kinds of grasshoppers, it possesses long antennae and enormous compound eyes.
Host Plant:
Red legs They eat a lot of different plants because they are generalists. They usually live in fields and open spaces, where they eat grasses, broadleaf plants, and other plants.
Territory:
This species of grasshopper inhabits disturbed regions such as meadows, agricultural fields, and grasslands in North America. The kinds of plants that they can consume and breed with determine their range.
Damages caused by Red-legged grasshoppers:
Grasshoppers and many other grasshopper species can harm plants and crops. They consume plant leaves and roots, and when there are a lot of them, they can assist in removing leaves and harm the overall health of plants. They are beneficial to natural surroundings, but too many of them can be problematic in agricultural regions.
Life History and Habitat:
Life Cycle:
- The Red-legged Grasshopper goes through a partial transformation, with various stages including egg, nymph, and adult.
- Egg:In late summer or fall, females lay groups of eggs in the ground.
- Nymph:The eggs stay dormant all winter and hatch in the spring, making nymphs that look like little adults.
- Adult:Nymphs go through several moults before they become adults. In most years, the adult stage is reached in the middle to end of summer.