CLASSIFICATION OF MELANOPLUS (GRASSHOPPER)
KINGDOM :- ANIMALIA (Multicellular eukaryotic organisms)
PHYLUM :- ARTHROPODA (Jointed appendages.)
CLASS :- INSECTA (3 pairs of legs.)
ORDER :- ORTHOPTERA (Straight wings.)
FAMILY :- PYRGOMORPHIDAE (Wings develop externally. )
GENUS :- Melanoplus
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
- Species are found in Africa, India, Indo-China, Malesia through to Papua New Guinea.
HABIT AND HABITAT
Melanoplus is commonly found in green fields and trees and hence green coloured
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF MELANOPLUS (GRASSHOPPER)
- Commonly known as grasshopper.
- Body is differentiated into head, thorax and abdomen.
- Head contains chewing mouth parts with large compound eyes and elongated backwardly directed antennules. Pronotum although large is not noticeably elongated.
- Thorax is divided into proihorax, mesothorax and metathorax having foreleg, middle leg and hind leg respectively.
- Hind legs are modified for jumping and leaping and are called as Saltatoral legs.
- Thorax contains 2 pairs of wings. Forewings are opaque called as tegmen while hind wings are . membraneous.
- Female has a long ovipositor. Eggs are laid in groups.
- Auditory organs are tympanum having stridulating organs.
- Abdomen contains 11 segments, each having a pair of spiracular opening in ventrolateral position.
- Nymphs are wingless.
ECONOMIC STATUS
Harmful insect destroying agricultural crops.
IDENTIFICATION
The insect contains jumping legs and all above features hence it is Melanoplus.
