Body Parts of the Acrididae Grasshopper

The Acrididae family of short-horned grasshoppers includes over 8,000 species worldwide and most of the grasshopper species in North America. One of the major identifying features of these grasshoppers is the length of their antennae̵2;the "horn" measures about half the body length, with 30 segments or less. Acrididae in the US do not form swarms as European and African locusts sometimes do. America's only swarming species of grasshopper̵2;the now extinct Rocky Mountain locust̵2;once traveled the Midwest in groups of over 3 trillion hoppers.

  1. Head

    • The grasshopper's large compound eyes̵2;usually round but oval in some species̵2;contain many individual facets. At the base of each antenna Acrididae grasshoppers have simple single eyes or ocella, with one more ocella alone in the center of the facial plate or frontal costa. Mandible, maxilla and labium form the chewing parts of the mouth, while maxillary and labial palpus̵2;the feelers that extend beyond the mouth̵2;identify edibles by touch. Each zone and plate of the head is named̵2;the top of the head is the vertex; the back is the occiput; the front is the fastigium. The grasshopper's clypeus corresponds to the nose, and the cheeks are called gena.

    Thorax

    • The thorax̵2;the center section of the grasshopper's three main body parts̵2;is formed from three segments fused into one stiff piece. Each fused segment hosts a pair of legs. Of the three thorax segments̵2;prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax̵2;only the last two have wings. Wings sprouting from the mesothorax are called forewings or tegmen. Some grasshopper species completely lack wings, or have vestigial wings of no actual use for flying. The thorax regions from top to bottom also have names̵2;notum, pleura (the sides) and sternum.

    Abdomen

    • The abdomen is the largest part of the grasshopper and is extremely complex, although it may look less complicated than head or thorax. Grasshoppers have 11 abdominal segments̵2;the front segment, attached to the thorax, holds the tympanum̵2;the eardrums̵2;on its sides. Top segment plates or terga connect through a flexible membrane to sterna, or bottom plates. Tiny holes or spiracles in the plates allow the grasshopper to breathe. Within the abdomen, organs for respiration, digestion and reproduction are found.

    Genitalia

    • At the tip of the abdomen specific features identify adult grasshoppers as male or female. These features don't fully develop in immature nymphs. Male grasshoppers have two pairs of distinctive paddle-like structures called fercula and cerci at the tip of the abdomen, while females have an egg-laying organ̵2;the ovipositor. In Acrididae species the ovipositor is short and doesn't extend far beyond the last abdominal plate.