Pygmy Grasshopper
Oct 6, 2021 16:31:22 #
This is my preserved pygmy grasshopper. I took it out of storage and it was quite filthy so I raised it off with a light mix of water and bleach and then three minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner with distilled water and a few drops of liquid dish soap. After staging it for this focus stacking session it went into preservation with new denatured alcohol.
The pygmy grasshopper family is well named, since most species are quite small, never exceeding ¾ inch. This session was staged at 5X power magnification to put that into perspective. They prefer to live near streams or ponds, or in wet or damp places, and some are even semiaquatic which makes them great bait (if you can catch them) for panfish like bluegill.
A key identifier is their long, tapered "pronotum" — that’s the plate at the top of the thorax, behind the head which can easily be seen in this image. In pygmy grasshoppers, the pronotum is so long that it usually extends clear over the abdomen, covering or mostly covering the wings so along with them being ever so small, that long back-plate helps identify them. We are fortunate enough to have five species of pygmy grasshoppers in our area so I frequently get to see them however getting close to one is quite challenging for these little buggers are quick as lightning to jump away and they blend into the ground clutter which helps them disappear.
The pygmy grasshopper family is well named, since most species are quite small, never exceeding ¾ inch. This session was staged at 5X power magnification to put that into perspective. They prefer to live near streams or ponds, or in wet or damp places, and some are even semiaquatic which makes them great bait (if you can catch them) for panfish like bluegill.
A key identifier is their long, tapered "pronotum" — that’s the plate at the top of the thorax, behind the head which can easily be seen in this image. In pygmy grasshoppers, the pronotum is so long that it usually extends clear over the abdomen, covering or mostly covering the wings so along with them being ever so small, that long back-plate helps identify them. We are fortunate enough to have five species of pygmy grasshoppers in our area so I frequently get to see them however getting close to one is quite challenging for these little buggers are quick as lightning to jump away and they blend into the ground clutter which helps them disappear.
Oct 7, 2021 07:21:35 #
Oct 7, 2021 09:28:39 #
EnglishBrenda wrote:
Thanks, Brenda. I appreciate your viewing and feedback.
Oct 7, 2021 11:21:30 #
Very good! They have vestigial front wings, which is the oval pad toward the left in the picture. As you say, the hind wings are well developed.
Oct 7, 2021 12:52:32 #
Mark Sturtevant wrote:
Very good! They have vestigial front wings, which is the oval pad toward the left in the picture. As you say, the hind wings are well developed.
Mark, thanks for the info about these fascinating little creatures. This is their time of the year here now and when I walk through the tall grass and weeds I see them however they are gone in a flash. The typical large grasshoppers hang around and more often than not I see them in mating pairs. They seem to be hamming it up for the camera.
Some of the grasshoppers here are good flyers and they make an unmistakable sound when they take off into the air. They are quite difficult to get close to as well as the pygmy is.
Oct 8, 2021 10:47:58 #
Oct 8, 2021 10:54:45 #
Oct 8, 2021 17:06:43 #
Oct 8, 2021 18:06:07 #
Muddyvalley wrote:
Great shot and an education! Keeps me coming back!
Thanks, Muddyvalley. It's great to know that you enjoy seeing them.
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