Swollen Short-wing Grasshopper

Melanoplus strumosus · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Acrididae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Swollen Short-wing Grasshopper
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

The swollen short-wing grasshopper is scientifically called Melanoplus strumosus. It lives in Central America.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Melanoplus strumosus is the scientific name for the swollen short-wing grasshopper.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

This grasshopper is found in Central America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is Central America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 6 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Nebraska.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Swollen Short-wing Grasshopper photo 2
Photo: harrier, CC BY
Swollen Short-wing Grasshopper photo 3
Photo: harrier, CC BY

Same family (Acrididae)

Differential GrasshopperDifferential GrasshopperMelanoplus differentialisDamages trees, gardens or cropsTwo-striped GrasshopperTwo-striped GrasshopperMelanoplus bivittatusDamages trees, gardens or cropsCarolina GrasshopperCarolina GrasshopperDissosteira carolinaDamages trees, gardens or cropsCommon Field GrasshopperCommon Field GrasshopperChorthippus brunneusEgyptian Bird GrasshopperEgyptian Bird GrasshopperAnacridium aegyptiumGray Bird GrasshopperGray Bird GrasshopperSchistocerca nitensDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanoplus_strumosus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.