Montana Field Guide

The following is taken from Hebard (1928), Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), Brust et al. (2008), and Scott (2010). This is a large-sized, stocky species with much geographic and altitudinal variation, which has contributed to it being recognized as nine subspecies. Three of these are listed for Montana: buckelli in the western, mountain counties, latefasciatus in the eastern half of the plains, and leprosus in a small area of Gallatin and Park counties. The general body color is grayish-brown and conspicuously marked with dark brown, well-defined spots on the tegmina (forewings). When the wings are folded, pale stripes run across the dorsal surface forming a V-shape. The hindwings can be yellow, orange, or pinkish with a broad dark band and long spur extending nearly to its base and a transparent tip. The head is usually lighter than the rest of the body. The pronotum (thorax) is rough or bumpy, the median carina (ridge) is low, cut by two notches and bordered by a pale stripe on the edges. The lateral ridges of the pronotum are pale striped. The outer face of the hind femur is marked with 3 diagonal bands, the inner face is bright red or orange, sometimes bearing dark blue stripes and in some individuals, it may be deep blue. The hind tibia is either totally bright red or yellow, on the outer side and red and the inner side yellow. Mountain populations of this species are darker in body color and smaller in size, sometimes as much as half those occurring in the lowlands and grasslands.

Communicative behavior/Crepitation*
The literature varies regarding crepitation. Otte (1970) reported no crepitation occurring in this species. Vickery and Kevan (1985) cites other observers’ reporting a “low whirring sound made by the females,” the males making no sound while in flight. Pfadt (2002) states that evasive flights range from 4 to over 30 feet, are straight or sinuous at heights of 1-3 feet, and accompanied by loud stridulation.* Vibratory stridulation is performed by courting males, producing an audible “chirp” which is the primary courtship signal of the male. Femur tipping and silent shaking occur in male-to-male aggression encounters (Otte 1970, 1984, Vickery and Kevan 1985, 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).

The following is taken from Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), and Scott (2010). This species overwinters in the late nymph 4th, 5th, or 6th instar stage (see "Reproductive characteristics). The nymphs emerge in March, sometimes they may occur during an unseasonably warm winter period in February. Due to their large size and early spring emergence, the nymphs are easily observed when other grasshopper species are still in their egg stage or present as small early instars. This species has a high tolerance to freezing temperatures. The adult stage is reached in April and May, and are present to mid-July, with some late metamorphosing adults occurring into August.

The following comes from Hebard (1928), Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), Brust et al. (2008), and Scott (2010). The body length for males is 35-48 mm, and for females 45-65 mm (lengths vary with geographic locations, elevation, and subspecies). The Montana Band-winged male length is 24-27 mm, and females 31-38 mm. Folded wings extend slightly beyond or to the abdominal tip.

The Red-shanked Grasshopper, can easily be confused with the Wrinkled Grasshopper (Hippiscus ocelote), Pronotal Range Grasshopper (Cratypedes negelectus), Coral-winged Grasshopper (Pardalaphora apiculate), and Haldeman’s Grasshopper (P. haldemanii).

Note: The following comes from Otte (1984), McDaniel (1987), Vickery and Kevan (1985), Richman et al. (1993), Capinera et al. (2004), BugGuide website, and Orthoptera Species Online website. There is also the possibility that this species’ congener, the Montana Band-winged Grasshopper (Xanthippus montanus), occurs in Montana. There is much confusion in the literature and websites regarding this species’ occurrence in the state—it may or may not be. In appearance, X. montanus is almost indistinguishable from X. corallipes. The descriptive characteristics for X. montanus are basically less-defined spots tending to be longitudinal on the forewings (tegmina), bars on the outer face of the hind femur are indistinct, and smaller in size. They have a strong preference for sandy habitats, which has led to the suggestion for the common name be changed to “Sandhills Band-wing Grasshopper.” Also, adding to the difficulty of identifying X. montanus with any certainty are the subtle features described in the literature for the identification of the three subspecies present in the state.

This species inhabits grasslands of many types, shrub-grass communities, open areas in montane forests and vegetated areas above timberline up to 11,000 feet (Otte 1984, Vickery and Kevan 1985, and Pfadt 2002).

This species consumes exclusively grasses and sedges, such as Western Wheatgrass (Elymus smithii), Needle-and-Thread (Stipa comata), Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), Needleleaf Sedge (Carex duriuscula), Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and Six-weeks Fescue (Vulpia octoflora). In May, when Blue gramma (Bouteloua gracilis) becomes abundant, it becomes the preferred food of this grasshopper, and newly hatched nymphs feed on it heavily in late summer and early fall (Otte 1984, Vickery and Kevan 1985, Pfadt 2002).

The following is taken from Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), and Pfadt (2002). Courtship flight displays do not occur in this species. A courting male stridulates in a sequence of bursts using a single hind femur, striking an inner ridge against a series of nodes on the edge of the forewing. The bright red of his inner hind femur may also function as a visual attractant to the female. There have been no additional observations reported regarding courtship and copulation. The act of female egg laying has not been observed in the field, but evidence from lab studies with captive individuals indicate that she selects bare soil to oviposit her eggs, requiring one hour to complete, depositing eggs 2-3 inches deep. The egg pods collected were large, measuring 70 mm long and slightly curved, the bottom of the pod is enlarged 9-10 mm in diameter and contain 32 brown eggs, measuring 6-6.5 mm long. The top of the pod is filled with froth. In Montana, this species has a two-year life cycle, spending its first winter in the egg stage and its second as a partly grown nymph. This species passes through 5 or 6 instars in males, and 6 instars in females.