The Rocky Mountain Locust (Melanoplus spretus Walsh, 1866: Orthoptera; RML) has longed intrigued the entomologists and the public as being one of the few North American insects to go extinct while having a once large population. While many theories for extinction have been proposed for the RML, here I will use aspects of anthropology, geography, morphology, and taxonomy to re-examine and compare the historical and modern concepts of the RML. I challenge the presumed range of the RML, utilizing modern outbreaks and known specimens. I also provide an alternative hypothesis for the causes of extinction, while also allowing for the possibility of continued survival to the present. I also use this as a test case to encourage additional avenues to explore taxonomic mysteries and to challenge our preconceived notions.
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