Melanoplus macclungi Rehn, 1946:264
Macclung’s locust
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Conservation Status
REPAD conservation status: overlooked
Melanoplus macclungi was formerly listed in the REPAD database as 'missing' (Harman, 2021; Harman & Hoback, 2022), due to a lack of recent records and its listing as 'GH Possibly Extinct' by NatureServe which listed the species as endemic to Kansas. It has since been found to be rather widespread via both contemporary collecting and retrospective analysis of Melanoplus museum specimens and citizen science records (Harman, 2021; Harman & Hoback, 2022). Having previously been "overlooked due to its strong association with cedars, where grasshopper collectors rarely survey, and its close resemblance to Melanoplus splendidus and M. punctulatus" (Alex Harman, pers. comm. 16 December 2020).
Distribution
Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri & Oklahoma, USA (see Harman, 2021; Harman & Hoback, 2022)
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1924641/bgpage
References
Original scientific description:
Rehn, J. A. G. (1946). On the punctulatus species-group of the genus Melanoplus (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Cyrtacanthacridinae), with the description of a new species from Kansas. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia XCVIII:241-269.
Other references:
Alex Harman [Harman, Alexander John], Masters Student at Oklahoma State University [at the time; now completed], personal communication (email) dated 16 December 2020.
Harman, Alexander John. (2021). Updated distributions of Oklahoma grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) and notes on Melanoplus macclungi. Masters thesis (MSc), Oklahoma State University.
Harman, Alexander John and Hoback, W. W. (2022). New State Records for Melanoplus macclungi (Orthoptera: Acrididae) and Notes on its Biology. J. of the Kansas Entomological Society 94(1): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.2317/0022-8567-94.1.1
Otte, D. 1994-1995. Orthoptera Species File, Volumes 1-5. The Orthopterists' Society and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106582/Melanoplus_macclungi