Bug FAQCattail Toothpick Grasshopper
Leptysma marginicollis · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Acrididae
Also called: slender locust
It lives in wet habitats on emergent plants such as cattails and sedges and occurs throughout the United States, Mexico, the neotropics and the Caribbean. Mating begins around April, after which eggs are deposited inside plant stems, and it can be distinguished from similar grasshoppers by a spine between the front legs.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The front wings are sharply pointed and extend 3 to 5 mm beyond the tip of the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs throughout the United States, Mexico, the neotropics, and the Caribbean.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the cattail toothpick grasshopper look like?
It is brownish with a light stripe from the eye to the front-leg base, and its front wings are sharply pointed, extending a few millimetres beyond the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this grasshopper found?
It lives in wet places on plants like cattails and sedges and is distributed across the United States, Mexico, the neotropics and the Caribbean.
Source: Wikipedia
When does it breed?
Mating begins around April and the female lays eggs inside plant stems.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell it apart from similar grasshoppers?
Look for a small spine or spur between the front legs; this feature is absent in typical Gomphocerinae grasshoppers.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Acrididae)
Differential GrasshopperMelanoplus differentialisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Two-striped GrasshopperMelanoplus bivittatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Carolina GrasshopperDissosteira carolinaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Field GrasshopperChorthippus brunneus
Egyptian Bird GrasshopperAnacridium aegyptium
Gray Bird GrasshopperSchistocerca nitensDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptysma_marginicollis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.