Family: Acrididae, Short-horned Grasshoppers view all from this family

Description The Devastating Grasshopper is a member of the short-horned grasshopper family (family Acrididae). Short-horned grasshoppers get their name from their short, horn-shaped antennae, which are usually less than half the length of the body. They are 1/2-3 1/3" (12-80 mm) long. These common grasshoppers have 3-segmented tarsi and flat, round hearing organs called tympana on each side of the first abdominal segment. The pronotum does not extend over the abdomen. These grasshoppers produce a low buzzing sound by rubbing the roughened surfaces of their hind wings against the forewings. Females lay eggs in large masses below the surface of the ground. Depending on the species, a mass contains 8-25 eggs, which usually hatch in summer. Many members of this large family attack crop plants. Some are called locusts from the Latin word for grasshopper.