THE ANIMAL FILES

American bird grasshopper

Schistocerca americana

The same grasshopper can grow up in different colours.

American bird grasshopper nymphs develop changing wing pads and become less gregarious as they grow. Their colours also respond to temperature and crowding, so colour alone is not a reliable developmental-stage marker.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
American bird grasshopper
Image: Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth! · Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Young stages
Nymphs with changing wing pads[1]
Adult appearance
Usually yellow-brown with spotted wings[1]
Winter stage
Adults rather than eggs[1]

Colour is a response, not just a label

Nymphs can be green, yellow or reddish, with black markings. Temperature influences these colour forms: cooler conditions are associated with redder backgrounds and darker patterning. Crowding can also darken markings, but it has less effect on background colour. Several appearances can therefore arise within the same species.[1]

Wings arrive through a sequence

Early nymphs lack wings, while later stages develop wing pads that change shape and length over successive moults. Newly emerged young feed together but become less gregarious as they develop.[1]

A bite can start a plant response

Compounds called caeliferins occur in this grasshopper’s regurgitant. When it feeds, these compounds can induce plants to release volatile chemicals associated with herbivore attack.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Must different nymph colours mean different species?

No. Environmental influences help produce several colour forms in this species. Temperature and crowding do not affect every part of the colour pattern in the same way, so appearance needs to be interpreted in context.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why compare wing pads rather than colour alone?

Reveal the explanation

Wing pads change through successive instars, while colour also responds to environmental conditions. Combining developmental structures with appearance is more informative than treating a red or green body as a complete age label.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — American bird grasshopper (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Schistocerca americana (identity and classification)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Desert locustThe same species can be solitary or part of a swarm.Schistocerca gregaria ↗American cockroachA name can travel farther than an animal’s origins.Periplaneta americana ↗European mantisFolded forelegs are hunting equipment.Mantis religiosa ↗