Melanoplus Stål, 1873

Barrientos-Lozano, Ludivina, Rocha-Sánchez, Aurora Y. & Horta-Vega, Jorge V., 2013, Two new species of Melanoplus Stål, 1873 (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae) from northeastern Mexico, Zootaxa 3669 (3), pp. 261-286 : 262

Genus Melanoplus Stål, 1873

Diagnosis. Members of the genus Melanoplus possess a prosternal spine or “spur” ventrally, immediately in front of, or between the front legs; this prosternal spine may be variable in size, but always prominent. Because of this characteristic they are commonly known as “spur throated grasshoppers”. The body is moderately stout and feebly compressed. Head is not larger in proportion than the pronotum, not prominent, but little longer than the prozona. Pronotum not enlarged in front to receive the head. Tegmina, when fully developed, narrow, rarely rather broad, but very distinctly tapering in distal half. Cerci of male exceedingly variable, but very rarely styliform; subgenital plate never very narrow, often very broad, its apical margin usually elevated (Scudder 1897, Blatchley 1920, Kirk & Bomar 2003). Seventeen species of the genus Melanoplus have been recorded to occur in northeastern Mexico, including two new species here described. A key to separate these species is presented below, followed by the description of the two new species.