Bug FAQForest Locust
Melanoplus islandicus · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Acrididae
Also called: Island Locust, Island Short-wing Grasshopper
Melanoplus islandicus is a short-winged spur-throated grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is native to North America, especially the coastal regions of Alaska and Canada. Conservation work is in progress to protect the species by controlling non-native animals and restoring its habitat.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Melanoplus islandicus is a short-winged grasshopper in the spur-throated group of the Acrididae family.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
- Conservation projects aim to protect the Isle Royale grasshopper by managing non-native species and restoring its habitat.
- Efforts are underway to preserve this grasshopper.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives mainly along the coasts of Alaska and Canada. It is also found elsewhere in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky, West Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where does the forest locust live?
It lives mainly along the coasts of Alaska and Canada and is also present elsewhere in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the native range of Melanoplus islandicus?
It is native to North America, especially the coastal regions of Alaska and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How is the Isle Royale grasshopper being protected?
Conservation projects protect it by controlling non-native species and fixing its habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
What family does the forest locust belong to?
It belongs to the Acrididae family of spur-throated 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/Melanoplus_islandicus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.