LIFE CYCLE OF A GRASSHOPPER

AIM: At the end of the lesson, students should be able to describe the life cycle of a
grasshopper as a form of incomplete metamorphosis.
PRESENTATION BY:

 DANIEL RICHARDSON
 LISA MAGBO
 RAYNETTE BAWUAH
 PAULA OBENG
DIAGRAHIC
STAGES IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF A
GRASSHOPPER
 What are grasshoppers?
Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what
is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the
early Triassic around 250 million years ago.
Grasshoppers are found all around the world except Antartica. They prefer warm climatic
areas with low-lying grasses.
TYPES OF GRASSHOPPERS
 LONG-HORNED GRASSHOPPERS: This type of grasshopper has a pair of antennae
about the same length as its body
 SHORT-HORNED GRASSHOPPERS: They have a pair of antennae about half-length of
the body. These can be called locusts when they migrate in a form of swam
 EGG

After fertilization, the female grasshopper lays the eggs either

underneath the soil or on leaf litters. The female then sprays a
sticky substance on the eggs to form an egg pod. An egg pod
contains between 10 to 300 eggs. The eggs remain under the
sand or amongst leaf litters during the autumn and winter
season. After ten months, during summer or spring when it’s
warm, the eggs hatch and come out as nymphs.
 NYMPH
As the nymphs emerge from their respective eggs, they wander
around looking for plant foliage to consume. The nymph looks
similar to the adult grasshopper but its reproductive organs and
wings are absent. Moulting is the process through which the
animal sheds skin to form new growth. Here, the nymph
undergoes five to six stages of moulting before it becomes an
adult. This stage of the nymph’s life span lasts for about six
weeks until it transforms into an adult grasshopper.
 ADULT GRASSHOPPER
Once the nymph has entered 25 to 30 days into the adult stage,
it starts to develop wings. These adult grasshoppers acquire
sexual maturity within 15 days. Unlike the nymph, the adult
grasshopper has more mobility and the ability to hunt and
escape from predators. Even though the lifespan of a
grasshopper is 12 months, there is only a 50% chance that these
adults survive because of large predators like birds, snakes and
lizards.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF
GRASSHOPPERS
 They serve as a source of food.
 They prey upon smaller insect pests of plants.
 They cause nutrients cycling by breaking down plants, fertilizing soil with their excreta
and in turn help plants grow