Montana Field Guide

The following comes from Hebard (1928), Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Otte (1981), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Vickery and Kevan (1985), McDaniel (1987), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), and Scott (2010). This is a sexually dimorphic species. Males are a striking shiny black with functional wings. The hind femur is black and sometimes possess a light ring at its narrowest point. The hind tibia can be entirely black, red and black, all red, or cream. Females are large and robust with large heads. Body color is usually a pale brown or straw brown. Wings are short and non-functional (a few females in a population may possess long wings and may be dark brown or black).

Overwinters in the egg stage. A late-hatching species, the nymphs appear the last of May to the first of June. Adults occur from July into September (Brust et al. 2008, Capinera et al. 2004, Capinera and Sechrist 1982, Hebard 1928, Otte 1984, Pfadt 2002, Scott 2010, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

The following is taken from Hebard (1928), Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Otte (1981), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Vickery and Kevan (1985), McDaniel (1987), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), and Scott (2010). The body length for males is 24-34 mm and for females 33 to 52 mm. Male wing length does not reach the tip of the abdomen. The hind wings area clear, pale blue with black on the apical area. Females possess noticeably short wings and hind tibia is rose colored. Sometimes have green on head, pronotum, and hind femur.

The black males could be confused with the black (melanistic) form of the spur-throat grasshopper, Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis), and possibly a cricket.

Inhabits mixed-grass and shortgrass prairies, and moist ground in prairie valley bottomlands, especially those with luxuriant stands of grasses (Brust et al. 2008, Capinera et al. 2004, Capinera and Sechrist 1982, Otte 1984, Pfadt 2002, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

Considered a “fastidious” grass feeder due to its preference for blue gramma (Bouteloua gracilis), western wheatgrass (Elymus smithii), and needle-and-thread (Stipa comata) (Brust et al. 2008, Capinera et al. 2004, Capinera and Sechrist 1982, and Pfadt 2002).

After the eggs hatch, the nymphs pass through 5 instars before reaching the adult stage (Pfadt 2002).