Life Cycle of a Grasshopper

Grasshoppers, also known as short-horned grasshoppers, are insects, belonging to the order Othoptera and suborder Caelifera. They are brown or green in color, with dark spots on their body. There are approximately 11,000 species of grasshoppers. Some notable characters of grasshoppers include strong and big hind legs (used for jumping), short antennae (20-24 segments, less than body length) and short ovipositors (organ used for laying of eggs).

Grasshoppers are flying insects that possess two pairs of wings, the fore and the hind wings. The fore wings are narrow and leathery, whereas the hind wings are larger and membranous. Usually, female grasshoppers are larger in size than the males. Another feature of female grasshoppers is the presence of two pairs of triangular structures (valves) at the end of the abdomen, which they use for digging the sand during egg laying. In case of male grasshoppers, there is presence of a single unpaired plate.

Grasshoppers are herbivores and generally feed on plants. Some species of grasshopper eat only grass. Grasshoppers are found abundantly in autumn; however, they can also be present in spring and summer seasons. Let's take a look in brief about the life cycle of grasshoppers.

Life Cycle of a Grasshopper

In general, reproduction takes place in early summer. During mating, the male grasshopper deposits the spermatophore that contains sperms, into the ovipositor of the female. As the sperms enter the micropyles, fertilization of the eggs occurs. Following are the three stages in the life cycle of grasshoppers.

Egg: By mid-summer, the female grasshoppers lay the fertilized eggs in the form of egg pods, usually more than ten, either in the sand or among leaf litters. Each egg pod consists of about 10-300 eggs that are rice shaped. The life cycle of grasshoppers starts from the egg stage. The eggs remain dormant in autumn and winter seasons, for almost ten months. By spring or early summer, the eggs hatch into nymphs.

Nymph: Immediately after hatching, the young nymphs (first instar nymphs) start feeding on soft and succulent plant foliages. Nymphs are miniature versions of adult grasshoppers, except that they are light in color and do not possess wings. Nymphs undergo 5-6 molts and change their form and structure, before becoming adults. The nymphal stage may last for a period of 5-10 days, based on the species and the weather condition, especially temperature and humidity. As the nymphs molt, their size increases and wing pads progressively develop on the thorax portion of the body.

Adult: After 25-30 days, the wings are developed completely and the nymphs mature into adults. Thus, by the time, an egg matures into an adult, the grasshopper is about eleven months old. The adult grasshoppers gain sexual maturity within 15 days and survive for a span of about 30 days.

The life span of grasshoppers is about 12 months. Studies have found out that the survival rate of nymphs after hatching is about 50 percent, as chances are high that they may be eaten by predators like birds, rodents and lizards. This way, grasshoppers play a major role in the effective functioning of an ecosystem, by providing food for many predators in the food chain. A swarm of grasshoppers, also known as locusts, might cause severe damages to the crops, affecting the crop yield.