Orthoptera of Michigan

Our current state of knowledge about distribution of Orthoptera in Michigan is generally very good, as many researchers (T. H. Hubbell, I. J. Cantrall, T. Cohn, D. Otte etc.) have done much collecting throughout the state. With specific regards to noting orthopteran associations with aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats per se, however, only Cantrall's 1943 work in southeastern Michigan stands out. A recent publication by Bland (2003) provides a useful summary of the species of Orthoptera occurring in Michigan and a summary of their habitats. This list is based on these works; otherwise, this list should be considered incomplete, awaiting a more thorough literature and museum search, and a more judicious interpretation of the actual "semi-aquatic" relationship of a species (not just an accidental association with a habitat).

Suborder Caelifera

Acrididae – Grasshoppers

Appalachia Rehn and Rehn, 1936 (Subfamily Podisminae)

Appalachia arcana Hubbell and Cantrall, 1938 – leatherleaf bog swales

Booneacris Rehn and Randell, 1962

Booneacris glacialis canadensis (Walker), 1903 Podisma – leatherleaf bogs and other swampy lowlands

Chorthippus Fieber, 1852 (Subfamily Gomphocerinae)

Chorthippus curtipennis curtipennis (Harris), 1835 Locusta – along the edges of lakes and marshes

Dichromorpha Morse, 1896 (Subfamily Gomphocerinae)

Dichromorpha viridis (Scudder), 1862 Chloealtis – dry edges and clearings around lakes, ponds, and marshes

Melanoplus Stål, 1873 (Subfamily Melanoplinae)

Melanoplus borealis borealis (Fieber), 1853 Caloptenus – marshy areas around ponds and lakes, and leatherleaf shrubs in leatherleaf-tamarack bogs
Melanoplus gracilis (Bruner), 1876 Pezotettix – moist habitats of tall grass and weeds such as the margins of lakes and marshes

Metaleptea Giglio-Tos, 1897 (Subfamily Acridinae)

Metaleptea brevicornis (Johannson), 1763 Gryllus - edges of wet meadows, marshes, ponds, lakes, streams

Paroxya Scudder 1877 (Subfamily Melanoplinae)

Paroxya hoosieri (Blatchley), 1892 Pezotettix – edges of ponds, small lakes, bogs, marshes, and swales

Stethophyma Fisher 1853

Stethophyma gracilis (Scudder), 1862 Arcyptera – Northern sedge grasshopper (wet meadows, stream edges and marshes)
Stethophyma lineata (Scudder), 1862 Arcyptera – Striped sedge grasshopper (wet boggy meadows, marshes, and the edges of lakes and tamarack bogs)

Schistocerca Stål, 1873 (Subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae)

Schistocerca alutacea (Harris), 1841 Acrydium – shrubby marshes, bogs, wet thickets, and the edges of forest thickets, ponds, and lakes
Schistocerca americana (Drury), 1773 Libellula – tall grasses and sedges of damp areas near lakes and marshes

Trimerotropis Stål, 1873 (Subfamily Oedipodinae)

Trimerotropis verruculata verruculata (Kirby), 1837 Locusta – rock, gravel, and clay shores of rivers and lakes

Tetrigidae – Pygmy grasshoppers

Paratettix Bolivar, 1887 (Subfamily Tetriginae)

Paratettix cucullata (Burmeister), 1838 Tetrix – damp, mucky, muddy, or sandy flats and banks near streams, ponds, lakes, and swampy meadows

Tetrix Latreille, 1802 (Subfamily Tetriginae)

Tetrix arenosa Burmeister, 1838 – damp mud and moist leaf litter of temporary woodland ponds and similar areas adjacent to streams and marshes
Tetrix subulatus (Linnaeus), 1761 Gryllus – moist, sandy habitats along the margins of streams, lakes, marshes, and bogs

Tettigidea Scudder, 1862 (Subfamily Batrachideinae)

Tettigidea armata armata Morse, 1895 – woodland ponds and swamps
Tettigidea laterala laterala (Say), 1824 Acrydium – bare or mossy wet soils of bogs, marshes, and woodland pools

Tridactylidae – Pygmy mole grasshoppers

Ellipes Scudder, 1862 (Subfamily Tridactylinae)

Ellipes gurneyi Günther, 1977 – (areas around streams)
Ellipes minutus Scudder, 1862 – (areas around streams)

Neotridactylus Günther 1972 (Subfamily Tridactylinae)

Neotridactylus apicialis (Say), 1825 Tridactylus – damp sandbars of streams, sandy and silty banks of ditches, ponds, and lakes

Suborder Ensifera

Gryllidae – Crickets

Allonemobius Hebard, 1913 (Subfamily Nemobiinae)

Allonemobius allardi (Alexander and Thomas), 1959 Nemobius – may be found in damp areas such as stream banks
Allonemobius fasciatus fasciatus (DeGeer), 1773 Gryllus – marshes, bogs, edges of ponds, lakes and streams

Anaxipha Saussure, 1874 Subfamily Trigonidiinae

Anaxipha exigua (Say), 1825 Acheta – shrubs along margins of marshes, streams, and lakes, on sphagnum moss in tamarack swamps

Eunemobius Hebard, 1913 (Subfamily Nemobiinae)

Eunemobius carolinus carolinus (Scudder), 1877 Nemobius – edges of swampy woods, lakes and streams, and sphagnum moss
Eunemobius melodius (Thomas and Alexander), 1957 Nemobius – bog sphagnum, decayed hardwood of swamps, leaf litter along shrub swamp margins

Neonemobius Hebard, 1913 (Subfamily Nemobiinae)

Neonemobius palustris palustris (Blatchley), 1900 Nemobius – sphagnum moss of bogs

Gryllotalpidae – Mole crickets

Neocurtilla Kirby, 1906 (Subfamily Gryllotalpinae)

Neocurtilla hexadactyla hexadactyla (Perty), 1832 Gryllotalpa – sandy and muddy soils along ponds, streams, and marshes

Rhaphidophoridae – Cave and camel crickets

Ceuthophilus Scudder, 1862 (Subfamily Ceuthophilinae)

Ceuthophilus meridionalis Scudder, 1894 – debris of moist forests, floodplains, and edges of lakes and streams

Tettigoniidae – Katydids

Amblycorypha Stål, 1873 (Subfamily Phaneropterinae)

Amblycorypha oblongifolia (DeGeer), 1773 Locusta – wet marshes and rank vegetation near other bodies of water

Conocephalus Thunberg, 1815 (Subfamily Conocephalinae)

Conocephalus attenuatum (Scudder), 1872 Xiphidium – tall grasses, rushes, and sedges in the shallow water of ponds, lakes, marshes, and rivers
Conocephalus brevipennis brevipennis (Scudder), 1862 Xiphidium – damp meadows and shaded areas along streams and the edges of marshes
Conocephalus fasciatus (DeGeer), 1773 Locusta – grass and other vegetation along waterways
Conocephalus nigropleurum (Bruner), 1891 Xiphidium – wet areas such as marshes, swamps, bogs, and the edges of streams, ponds, and lakes

Neoconocephalus Karny, 1907 (Subfamily Conocephalinae)

Neoconocephalus lyristes (Rehn and Hebard), 1905 Conocephalus – grasses, sedges, and rushes of wet ground, shallow bogs, and calcareous fens, also freshwater marshlands

Orchelimum Serville, 1839 (Subfamily Conocephalinae)

Orchelimum campestre Blatchley, 1893 – vegetation common to wet marshes and lake edges
Orchelimum concinnum Scudder, 1862 – marl bogs, prairie fens, and the edges of marshes
Orchelimum gladiator Bruner, 1891 – wet edges of marshes
Orchelimum nigripes Scudder, 1875 – vegetation of shallow water or along the margins of ponds, lakes, marshes, streams, and wet ditches
Orchelimum volantum McNeill, 1891 – vegetation of marshes, and also in and along the shallow waters of ponds, lakes, and streams

Scudderia Stål, 1873 (Subfamily Phaneropterinae)

Scudderia texensis Saussure and Pictet, 1897 – tall forbs of marshes and lake margins

General References

Bland RG. 2003. The Orthoptera of Michigan : biology, keys, and descriptions of grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets. Michigan State University Extension: East Lansing, Michigan. 220 p.
Cantrall IJ. 1943. The ecology of the Orthoptera and Dermaptera of the George Reserve, Michigan. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 54:1-182, 2 maps, 10 plates.

Page created: January 12, 2004 (EB) - Last updated: June 6, 2011 (EB)