Montana Field Guide

The following comes from Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), McDaniel (1987), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), Brust et al. (2008), and Scott (2010). The body is large and dark brown to black, heavily speckled or with white markings on the head and pronotum. The dorsal disk of the pronotum (thorax) can be totally pale or straw-colored. The forewings (tegmina) are boldly speckled with black. The hind wings are bright red, margined with a broad black stripe with a long-pointed spur projecting toward the body, the upper outer tip can be transparent with black speckles or all black. The outer face of the hind femur is dark brown or black with a light ring at the tip near the knee. The inner face is blueish-black with light markings along the dorsal ridge and a light ring at the base near the knee. The hind tibia is also black with a light ring at its apex.

Communicative behavior/Crepitation*
Qualitatively, communicative behaviors between the two Montana Arphia species are similar, but there are some differences between them regarding stridulation*, crepitation and flight. Their flight displays are frequent, very conspicuous, and a common summer sight amid its habitats. Most flights are between 1-12 feet at heights of 3-12 inches. Both males and females crepitate in flight and when disturbed, with rates recorded to about 21-24 crepitations per second (compare with Speckled Range Grasshopper, A. conspersa). The crepitations are very loud and can be heard up to 300 feet away. They also stridulate and perform hind femur tipping and raising when on the ground during courtship and territorial displays (Otte 1970, and Pfadt 2002).

*Crepitation is the sound produced by grasshoppers making a clicking or snapping noise with their wings when in flight, during courtship, territorial encounters or being disturbed.
*Stridulation is rubbing one body part against another, usually the hind femur against the forewing in the case of the Band-winged Grasshoppers. This is often used for attracting a female during courtship (Otte 1970).

This species overwinters in the egg stage. Eggs begin to hatch in mid-June, and continues for about 2 weeks, nymphs occurring on into mid-summer. Adults are present from mid-July into early November, depending upon timing of killing frosts (Capinera et al. 2004, and Scott 2010).

The following is taken from Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), McDaniel (1987), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), Brust et al. (2008), and Scott (2010). The male body length is 20-25 mm, and female’s 25-37 mm (body lengths are variable). The length to end of forewing for males is 30-41 mm, and for female's, 32-47 mm. The median carina (ridge) of the pronotum is elevated, slightly arched longitudinally, and has a faint notch.

This species can possibly be confused with the Speckled Range Grasshopper (A. conspersa), as that species is usually found in the same habitats, but occurs earlier in the season as an adult and has usually disappeared in July (Pfadt 2002, Capinera et al. 2004, and Scott 2010).

This species inhabits forest openings, sagebrush steppes, grasslands, prairies (especially mixed-grass prairies), and prefers those with large areas of bare ground with sandy and gravelly soils (Otte 1984, Vickery and Kevan 1985, Pfadt 2002, Capinera et al. 2004, and Scott 2010).

The Red-winged Grasshopper primarily feeds on grasses and sedges. Observations indicate this species consumes about 20 species of grasses and 4 species of sedges. In a Montana mixed-grass habitat, a study revealed that Red-winged Grasshoppers fed on the green leaves of Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), Western Wheatgrass (Elymus smithii), Blue Gramma (Bouteloua gracilis), Side-oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), Needle-and-Thread (Stipa comata), and Green Needlegrass (Stipa viridula). Sometimes they will feed on such forbs as White Sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana) and Scarlet Globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) (Capinera and Sechrist 1982, Vickery and Kevan 1985, Pfadt 2002).

The Red-winged Grasshopper’s courtship and copulatory sequences are similar to those of the Speckled Range Grasshopper (A. conspersa). The egg pods are nearly straight, about 48 mm long with the top 16 mm of the pod filled with froth, and contain 24-25 eggs. The eggs are tan or brown and are 4.2-5.2 inches long (Otte 1970 and 1984, Pfadt 2002).