[Objectives]  To analyze the transcriptome of Calliptamus abbreviatus (Calliptaminae, Orthoptera), one of the main pests of grassland and semi-rural pastoral areas, in order to identify immune related signal pathways and genes in this pest. [Methods]  Transcriptome data of female and male adults were sequenced on an Illumina high-throughput platform. Bioinformatics analysis of sequencing data, such as assembly and annotation, were implemented, and immune related pathways and genes were identified. [Results]  A total of 36 804 unigenes were obtained, of which 21 137 were successfully annotated using the seven functional databases (Nr, Nt, GO, COG, KEGG, Swissprot and Interpro). 160 unigenes associated with innate immunity were identified in the Toll, IMD and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. 166 unigenes are associated with other immune related pathways (such as the MAPK and TLR signaling pathway), and 457 are associated with detoxification metabolism related pathways. In total 8 125 genes that are differentially expressed in males and females were identified, of which 6 326 were up-regulated and 1 799 down-regulated, respectively. Based on KEGG annotation, a total of 22 unigenes were annotated in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, and six were annotated in the MAPK pathway. In addition, 6 227 SSRs were detected. [Conclusion]  Transcriptome data on C. abbreviates was successfully obtained and immune related pathways and genes identified. These findings provide a molecular basis for gene function annotation, the identification of immune genes, and molecular marker development, in this species.