The Rocky Mountain locust is an extinct species of grasshopper that ranged through the western half of the United States and some western portions of Canada with large numbers seen until the end of the 19th century. Sightings often placed their swarms in numbers far larger than any other locust species, with one famous sighting in 1875 estimated at 198,000 square miles (510,000 km2) in size, weighing 27.5 million tons and consisting of some 12.5 trillion insects, the greatest concentration of animals ever speculatively guessed, according to Guinness World Records.
Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is probably the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago.
Bandwings, or band-winged grasshoppers, are the subfamily Oedipodinae of grasshoppers classified under the family Acrididae. They have a worldwide distribution and were originally elevated to full family status as the Oedipodidae. Many species primarily inhabit xeric weedy fields, and some are considered to be important locusts:
The Melanoplinae are a subfamily of grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. They are distributed across the Holarctic and Neotropical realms. They are one of the two largest subfamilies in the Acrididae. As of 2001 the Melanoplinae contained over 800 species in over 100 genera, with more species being described continuously.
Trimerotropis is a genus of band-winged grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There are at least 50 described species in Trimerotropis.
Schistocerca is a genus of grasshoppers, commonly called bird grasshoppers, many of which swarm as locusts. The best known species is probably the desert locust and trans-Atlantic flight may explain the biogeography of some locust species.
Gomphocerini is a tribe of grasshoppers of the family Acrididae.
The Copiphorini are a tribe of bush crickets or katydids in the family Tettigoniidae. Previously considered a subfamily, they are now placed in the subfamily Conocephalinae. Like some other members of Conocephalinae, they are known as coneheads, grasshopper-like insects with an extended, cone-shaped projection on their heads that juts forward in front of the base of the antennae.
Pamphagodidae is a small family of grasshoppers in the Orthoptera: suborder Caelifera. Species in this family can be found in southern Africa and Morocco.
Arphia is a genus of band-winged grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There are at least 11 described species in Arphia.
Psoloessa is a genus of slant-faced grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There are at least four described species in Psoloessa.
Chimarocephala is a genus of band-winged grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There are at least three described species in Chimarocephala.
Trimerotropis sparsa, known generally as the badlands grasshopper or great basin grasshopper, is a species of band-winged grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in North America.
Leprus is a genus of band-winged grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There are at least three described species in Leprus.
Arphia conspersa, known generally as the speckle-winged rangeland grasshopper or speckled rangeland grasshopper, is a species of band-winged grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in North America.
Barytettix is a genus of spur-throated grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There are about nine described species in Barytettix, found in western Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Phoetaliotes nebrascensis, the large-headed grasshopper, is a species of spur-throated grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in North America.
Leprus wheelerii, or Wheeler's blue-winged grasshopper, is a species of band-winged grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Tauchira polychroa is a species of short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in Southeast Asia.
Psiloscirtus apterus is a species of short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
