The genus Schistocerca Stål 1873 belongs to a grasshopper subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae (Orthoptera: Acrididae). The subfamily is characterized by the rectangular inner margins and acute inner angles of the mesosternal lobes, which is well-expressed in Schistocerca (Uvarov 1923). Schistocerca is one of two New World representatives of the largely Old World subfamily. Another New World genus is Halmenus Scudder 1893, which has been suggested to be the closest relative of Schistocerca (Dirsh 1974).
Schistocerca is the largest genus of Cyrtacanthacridinae containing about 50 species. I recognized forty-six species (49 including subspecies) in my study, which is presented in the table below.
Species
Distribution
Species
Distribution
albolineata
NA: Southwestern U.S., including Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and Mexico
matogrosso
SA: Brazil
alutacea
NA: Eastern U.S.
melanocera
SA: Endemic to Galápagos Islands, Ecuador; on all islands except Española
americana
NA: Souther US from Texas to Florida
nitens (Colima)
CA: Colima, Guerrero, Mexico
beckeri
SA: Trinidad
nitens (Colombia)
SA: Colombia
braziliensis
SA: Only known from Brazil
nitens (Guatemala)
CA: Guatemala
brevis
CA: Clarion Island, Islas de Revillagigedo, Mexico
nitens (Nuevo Leon)
CA: Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Mexico
camerata
CA: Mexico
nitens (Trinidad)
CA: Trinidad
cancellata
SA: Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil
nitens (Vera Cruz)
CA: Vera Cruz, Mexico
carribeana
CA: St. Kitts, West Indies
obscura
NA: Southern U.S. and northern Mexico
centralis
CA: Mexico
orinoco
SA: Orinoco Delta, Venezuela
ceratiola
NA: Endemic to Central Florida, U.S.
pallens (Barbados)
CA: Barbados
cohni
CA: Mexico
pallens (Bolivia)
SA: Bolivia
columbina
CA: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, West Indies
pallens (Ecuador)
SA: Ecuador, Peru
crocotaria
CA: Costa Rica, Panama
pallens (Mexico)
CA: Mexico
cubense
CA: Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas
piceifrons peruviana
CA: Peru and southern Ecuador
damnifica
NA: Southeastern U.S. and northern Mexico
piceifrons piceifrons
CA: Mexico south of the Tropic of Cancer and Central America
diversipes
SA: Colombia
quisqueya
CA: Endemic to Hispaniola, especially in Dominican Republic
flavofasciata
CA, SA: West Indies, Venezuela, Guyana , Surinam, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina
rubiginosa
NA: Eastern U.S., including Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina
gorgona
SA: Gorgona Island, Colombia
serialis
CA: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and islands east to Antigua
gregaria flaviventris
AF: Republic of South Africa
shoshone
NA: Southwestern U.S., including Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado
gregaria gregaria
AF: Northern Africa and Middle East
socorro
CA: Endemic to Socorro Island, Islas de Revillagigedo, Mexico
interrita
SA: Peru
subspurcata
SA: Ecuador, Peru
lineata
NA: Entire U.S.
vaga*
NA: Western U.S., including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the northern Mexico
literosa
SA: Endemic to Galápagos Islands, Ecuador; Islas Española, Floreana, Gardner near Española, Genovesa, San Cristóbal
virginica
CA: St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, West Indies
magnifica
CA: Crooked Island, Bahamas
NA: North America; CA: Central America; SA: South America; AF: Africa
* Schistocerca vaga is commonly known as S. nitens in the U.S., however, there are many indications that the type specimen was actually collected somewhere in Central America. I am in the process of a taxonomic investigation.
The main morphological character that distinguishes Schistocerca from the rest of the subfamily is the shape of male subgenital plate (Fig. A). The genus has a bilobed male subgenital plate whose lobes are distinctly protruding. The shape of male cerci is quadrate in its basic form although there are many modifications (Fig. B).
I created a website dedicated to North American Schistocerca species in 2004. It contains useful information about taxonomy and biology of the species in the Alutacea Group.
Copyright 2002-2009. Hojun Song. All Rights Reserved.
