Dual-unicorn Grasshopper

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Dual-unicorn Grasshopper

November 15, 2015 by Mike Powell

I sometimes make up my own names for species that I have trouble identifying and I call this grasshopper that I observed this weekend the Dual-unicorn Grasshopper, because the shape and pattern of the antennae remind me of many of the depictions I have seen of the mythical unicorn.

What is it really called? Almost exactly a year ago, I posted some photos of a similar-looking grasshopper and considered the possibility that it might be a Slant-faced Grasshopper or a Cone-headed Grasshopper. Are those names any less outrageous than the one that I am suggesting?

I did manage last year to find some photos of grasshoppers that looked pretty much like mine that were identified on BugGuide as a Cattail Toothpick Grasshopper (Leptysma marginicollis).

Cattail Toothpick Grasshopper? I have to say that those three words make for an unusual word combination. I think I’ll continue to call it the Dual-unicorn Grasshopper.

Posted in Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Cattail Toothpick Grasshopper, cone-headed grasshopper, dual-unicorn grasshopper, grasshopper, Huntley Meadows Park, Leptysma marginicollis, Slant-faced Grasshopper, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on November 15, 2015 at 7:54 am | Reply Sand Salt Moon

Love the name you gave it, perfect! Great photographic find …
- on November 15, 2015 at 8:02 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Often I find that my made-up names are no crazier than the official ones (and a whole lot more fun).
- on November 17, 2015 at 5:05 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I sometimes surprise myself with all of the cool things that I manage to see.
on November 15, 2015 at 8:32 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

And I thought plant names were strange! This one has a very odd shaped head, or maybe it’s just the angle. I see what you mean about the “horns.”
- on November 17, 2015 at 5:05 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I think the head is in fact an unusual shape.
on November 15, 2015 at 10:06 am | Reply L@dyN0tt!ngh@m

I think you hit this one square on the unicorn head.
- on November 16, 2015 at 6:59 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I’m glad you like the name. Occasionally I think it’s a little crazy to come up with my own names for creatures, so I am happy to see learn that others like my unofficial names for them.
on November 15, 2015 at 10:45 am | Reply Jet Eliot

I think your name is definitely better — stately with a bit of mystery. Great photo emphasizing the unusual segmented antennae.
- on November 17, 2015 at 5:04 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  “Stately with a bit of mystery”–what a wonderful descriptive phrase. The situation in which I photographed the grasshopper was such that I knew that very little would be in sharp focus, and I was happy that I managed to get the antennae in focus.
on November 15, 2015 at 11:59 am | Reply Dan Traun

You find and shoot the most interesting things; many I have never seen.
on November 15, 2015 at 3:39 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

Sometimes exact is a difficult standard, sometimes close is the best we can do…It is an amazing photo.