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Abracris flavolineata

Abracris flavolineata

De Geer 1773
Chapulín Rayado

Family: Acrididae
Order: Orthoptera
Class: Insecta
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

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Description


Features a slender, medium-sized body exhibiting significant sexual dimorphism, in which females are noticeably larger, measuring between 30 and 42 millimeters in length, while males range from 20 to 28 millimeters. The base coloration varies from olive green to grayish-brown, with its most distinctive diagnostic feature being a prominent light yellow or cream-colored longitudinal stripe that runs dorsally from the head, across the pronotal disc, and along the upper margin of the tegmina. The hind legs are highly adapted for jumping, presenting robust femora adorned with dark markings and hind tibiae that are often bluish-gray with sharp spines. It is equipped with large, globular compound eyes and short filiform antennae, which assist in spatial orientation within dense vegetation.

Geographical distribution: Occurs widely throughout the Neotropical region of the American continent. Its range extends from southern Mexico and Central America (including nations such as Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama) down to a vast portion of South America, with established populations documented in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, most of Brazil, and northern Argentina. This high ecological plasticity enables it to thrive across multiple latitudes and elevations within these regions.

Habitat: Prefers transitional zones, tropical forest edges, shrubby savannas, and clearings within humid forests. It is an exceptionally common taxon in disturbed ecosystems, such as pastures, roadsides, suburban gardens, and low-intensity agricultural fields, demonstrating remarkable resilience to habitat fragmentation where the abundance of herbaceous plants and low shrubs offers optimal shelter and foraging opportunities.

Feeding: Functions as a primary consumer with strictly phytophagous and polyphagous feeding habits. Its chewing mouthparts are highly adapted to process a wide variety of plant tissues. It feeds primarily on the leaves of dicotyledonous plants, including common weeds, wild shrubs, and agricultural crops like cassava, beans, and citrus trees, although it rarely reaches population densities high enough to be classified as a major agricultural pest.

Behavior: Exhibits strictly diurnal activity patterns, with its highest energy output occurring during the warmest hours of the day, when it basks on sun-exposed leaves for thermoregulation. It relies heavily on its cryptic coloration to blend seamlessly with surrounding foliage; when disturbed, it executes a rapid defense strategy consisting of sudden, powerful leaps combined with short, buzzing flights propelled by its well-developed membranous hindwings.

Reproduction: Undergoes a hemimetabolous life cycle, characterized by gradual metamorphosis without a pupal stage. Mating begins after visual or vibratory courtship displays by the male. Following copulation, the female utilizes her specialized ovipositor valves to dig into moist soil or decaying organic matter, depositing eggs in a protective mass called an ootheca. This foamy secretion quickly hardens upon contact with air, safeguarding the eggs from desiccation and predators until the nymphs emerge, which then progress through five to six instar stages before reaching sexual maturity.

Conservation status: Has not been formally evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and therefore lacks an official categorization on the Red List. However, due to its high adaptability to anthropogenic environments, extensive geographical range, and stable populations across the continent, it is widely considered to be a species of least concern with no immediate threats to its survival.



Compilation and publication: EcoRegistros – 23/09/2026




Geographic distribution


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Species photographs

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Foto
Photography ID: 359413
  Adult

Puerto Iguazú
Misiones
Argentina
10/19/2019
Gustavo Fernando Durán
Foto
Photography ID: 223848
♂
  Adult

Parque Nacional Iguazú
Misiones
Argentina
09/15/2017
Gustavo Fernando Durán
Foto
Photography ID: 177746
  Adult

Puerto Iguazú
Misiones
Argentina
11/28/2016
Gustavo Fernando Durán



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 Detail of places sorted by number of records








Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
242347006/01/202617:00ArgentinaMisionesReserva Natural Silvestre Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Santa Ana1Gustavo Fernando Durán
238018119/10/202514:16ArgentinaMisionesRuta Nacional 101 - Tierra colorada, Parque Nacional Iguazú1Gustavo Fernando Durán
231349703/06/202513:16ArgentinaMisionesCerca de Viejo Hotel, Parque Nacional Iguazú1Gustavo Fernando Durán
181118405/08/2023ArgentinaMisionesSelva Iryapú (600 hectáreas), Puerto Iguazú1Gustavo Fernando Durán
181504103/08/2023ArgentinaMisionesSendero Macuco, Parque Nacional Iguazú1Gustavo Fernando Durán
114733220/10/2019ArgentinaMisionesSelva Iryapú (600 hectáreas), Puerto Iguazú1Gustavo Fernando Durán
112245019/10/2019ArgentinaMisionesSelva Iryapú (600 hectáreas), Puerto IguazúGustavo Fernando Durán
63009815/09/2017ArgentinaMisionesParque Nacional IguazúGustavo Fernando Durán
50880528/11/2016ArgentinaMisionesSelva Iryapú (600 hectáreas), Puerto IguazúGustavo Fernando Durán
Page 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Abracris flavolineata – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 26/09/2026.