Bug FAQLarge Painted Locust
Schistocerca melanocera · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Acrididae
It can grow up to about 8 cm long. It is native to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador, except Española Island.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It can reach roughly 8 cm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It is eaten by the Galápagos hawk and lava lizards.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It lives only on the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador, not on Española Island.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Illinois, Oklahoma, Colorado, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
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Questions people ask
Where is the large painted locust found?
It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador, but not present on Española Island.
Source: Wikipedia
What animals eat the large painted locust?
The Galápagos hawk and lava lizards feed heavily on it.
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/Schistocerca_melanocera
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.