6 Grasshopper Species found in California!
An incredible amount of grasshopper species live in California!
Trying to list them all would be impossible. 🙂
So below, you will find the most common and abundant insects found in the order Orthoptera. This includes not only grasshoppers but also crickets and katydids.
6 Grasshoppers in California:
#1. Tropical House Cricket
- Gryllodes sigillatus
- Adults are 0.51–0.71 in (13–18 mm) long.
- They are light brown or yellowish-tan with two thick black bands around the body.
- Their antennae and legs are long, and their wings are short.
Tropical House Crickets might be the most recognizable species of cricket. These insects are often sold as live pet food for reptiles, amphibians, and birds. They are easy to care for and nutritious for most insect-eating pets.
You’re likely to find these crickets in warm, humid, tropical climates in the wild. They don’t cause agricultural damage, so they aren’t considered a pest, although the males’ loud singing can be disruptive at night!
#2. Greater Anglewing
- Microcentrum rhombifolium
- Adults are 2.0–2.6 in (50–65 mm) long.
- They are bright green to yellowish.
- Their broad and leaf-like wings come to a sharp peak above their bodies.
You can find Greater Anglewings among shrubs and trees in California, but picking them out can be difficult! These katydids are masters of camouflage, with wings that mimic leaves and coloring that helps them blend right in.
Adults are active in late summer through fall. Listen for their call, which is a series of clicks in an even pattern, repeated 10-20 times in a row.
#3. Crackling Forest Grasshopper
- Trimerotropis verruculata
- Adults are 1-1.5 in (28-38 mm) long.
- Their coloring is a dull grayish-brown with light gray markings. It resembles granite.
- They have stout, compact bodies and very short legs.
Crackling Forest Grasshoppers are found in mountainous forests in California.
Their common name comes from the cracking noise they make in flight.
Their coloring is particularly useful as camouflage against their normal habitat, which includes rocky slopes, mountain ledges, and open mountain forests. They primarily eat grasses and forbs.
#4. Pallid-winged Grasshopper
- Trimerotropis pallidipennis
- Adults may grow to 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long.
- Adults are variable in color but are primarily gray or gray-brown with dark bands on their forewings and yellowish hind tibiae.
- Their hind wings are long, narrow, and pale yellow with greenish or bluish at the base and a narrow dark band.
These drably colored grasshoppers typically live in deserts or dry areas in California.
They like areas with sparse vegetation and bare ground, such as roadsides, vacant lots, and fields. Their coloring helps them blend in with the ground.
Some of the Pallid-winged Grasshopper’s behavior is dependent on the temperature. They tend to spend time foraging when temperatures are 75–90 °F (24–32 °C) and breed when they are 86–104 °F (30–40 °C).
Occasionally, Pallid-winged Grasshoppers will have localized population booms that can cause severe damage to vegetation and crops. These outbreaks may last a year or two.
Rainfall is a major factor in the survival of Pallid-winged Grasshopper eggs. The large outbreaks of these grasshoppers are associated with above-average rainfall levels in the previous fall, winter, and early spring.
#5. Gray Bird Grasshopper
- Schistocerca nitens
- Adults are typically 1.6 to 2.8 inches (4 to 7 cm) long.
- Adults have variable coloration but are usually patches of gray and brown.
- They have dark bars on the tops of their hind femora.
Also called Vagrant Grasshoppers, these large insects are skilled travelers. They look a bit clumsy, but looks can be deceiving. These grasshoppers are strong fliers, sometimes migrating hundreds of miles.
Gray Bird Grasshoppers aren’t tied to moist habitats in California like many other grasshopper species. You’ll find them in mountainous areas, deserts, and woodlands, and they often congregate around bright outdoor lights at night.
These grasshoppers adapt to different habitats by feeding on various plants, including crops and ornamental plants. The Gray Bird Grasshopper can be a troublesome pest, especially outside its native range. For example, in 2004, a swarm on the Hawaiian island Nihoa wiped out 90% of the vegetation!
#6. Painted Meadow Grasshopper
- Chimarocephala pacifica
- Adults are 0.4-1 in (12-25 mm) long.
- They come in a variety of colors, ranging from all green to all brown. Some individuals even have pinkish-brown markings.
- These grasshoppers are long and narrow-bodied with long wings and limbs.
Painted Meadow Grasshoppers might be the prettiest species in California!
This widely varied insect can be difficult to identify because its coloring is not uniform. However, it is easy to find in its range. You can find it on roadsides, in open fields, and even in vacant lots.
If you find a particularly large or colorful specimen, it’s probably female. The males tend to be smaller and more subdued in color but have longer wings.
Did you like learning about the grasshoppers that live in California?
Check out these ID guides that focus specifically on different insects and arachnids in California.
- MOST Common Insects
- Butterflies
- Wasps & Hornets
- Dragonflies
- Bees
- Ladybugs
- Moths
- Stink Bugs
- Cockroaches
- Caterpillars
- Spiders
- Millipedes & Centipedes
- Scorpions
- Ticks
Do you need additional help identifying grasshoppers in California?
If so, check out this excellent ID guide!
Which of these grasshoppers have you seen in California?
Leave a comment below!