Table of content

  • Introduction of the Insect
  • Classification
  • Distribution and Status
  • Identification
  • Problems with Identical signs
  • Habit and Habitat
  • Life cycle (Bionomics)
  • Damage
  • Common signs and symptoms of infestation
  • Symptoms of damage
  • Why is it important?
  • Management
  • Cultural practices
  • Biological control
  • Chemical treatment
  • Restrictions
  • Genome sequences
  • Published research.
  • References

Short horned grasshopper / tobacco grasshopper

Introduction of the Insect

Atractomorpha crenulata is a species of grasshopper that is commonly known as the Tobacco grasshopper. It is found in Asia and is a pest of tobacco and other crops. It is a bit of a weird looking grasshopper, because of the shape of its head. It looks like a cone instead of the usual round resemblance of the other grasshoppers. A. crenulata is greenish in color, with well-developed tegmina and rosy wings. The grasshoppers’ bodies are medium-sized, whereas their antennae are short [3]. The genus name Atractomorpha is derived from the Greek language and means “spindle-shaped” or “arrow-shaped”.[7] Various families of Orthoptera (including the Acrididae and Lentulidae) include genera whose species have similarly cone-shaped heads, and there are genera within the family Pyrgomorphidae (such as Phymateus and Dictyophorus) that do not have cone-shaped heads,[5] so their superficial appearance may be misleading even for professionals not specifically active in that field.

 

English name        Short horned grasshopper / tobacco grasshopper

Bangla name         –

Scientific name     Attractomorpha crenulata

Domain:             Eukaryota

Kingdom:           Animalia

Phylum:             Arthropoda

Class:                 Insecta

Order:                Orthoptera

Sub order:         Caelifera

Family:              Pygomorphidae

Genus:               Atractomorpha

Species:             A. crenulata

Binomial name: Atractomorpha crenulata (Fabricius, 1793)

Widely distributed in Asia. A. crenulata is distributed in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, north-western Sumatra, and southern Vietnam. But can also be found in midwestern areas of North America,such as Nebraska, Kansas and others [3]. Keith McE. Kevan argues that specimens of A. similis reported in the Lesser Sunda Islands are most likely specimens of A. crenulata [4].

 

Host Range
Pest of tobacco and a number of other crops.

  • Eggs: No information found.
  • Larva: No information found.
  • Adults: Greenish in color, with medium-sized bodies, short antennae, well-developed tegmina, grasshoppers with a slender shape, pointed front end, and rosy wings. A. crenulata has an elongated body, slender, bright green with white spots all over. The front snout is pointed with a bluish tip. A pair of short antennae with blue at the base and green at the ends.

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Atractomorpha are active during the day, and their usual habitat is reeds and grasses close to rivers or streams [6]. They are herbivores and minor pests in gardens. Breeds freely throughout the year.

Eggs are laid singly on the ventral surface of leaves. Grubs and adults feed by scraping outer tissues of leaves. Pupation takes place on leaf surfaces. Life cycle is completed in 15 to 30 days.

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  1. Feed on young leaves and flower buds.
  2. Affected plants with damaged foliage and flowers lose their elegance

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  1. Dusting the plants with 5% carbaryl – prevent the damage.
  2. Scraping of buds exposes egg masses to natural enemies.
  3. Netting – prevents damage from hoppers to nurseries.
  4. Spraying of quinalphos @0.05% or malathion 0.1% or carbaryl @0.2% protects the foliage.

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  1. “Genus Atractomorpha Saussure, 1862”. Orthoptera Species File Online. Species File. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  2. “Species Atractomorpha crenulata (Fabricius, 1793)”. Orthoptera Species File Online. Species File. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  3. Jump up to:a b Hazra, Dey & Hazra 1997, p. 402.
  4. Kevan 1971, p. 144.
  5. Alan Weaving; Mike Picker; Griffiths, Charles Llewellyn (2003). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. New Holland Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 1-86872-713-0. 5. ^ David C. Rentz (1996). Grasshopper Country: The Abundant Orthopteroid Insects of Australia. UNSW Press. p. 168. ISBN 9780868400631.