Montana Field Guide

This species is sexually dimorphic. In males, the pronotum is entirely black. Wings (tegmina) are brownish and almost reaching the tip of the abdomen. Hind femur is ivory and strongly banded with three oblique black bands on the outer, upper, and inner faces. Females are similar to males, but larger in body size. Color is dark gray to black. The wings are pointed and shorter than the head plus pronotum (sometimes shorter than the pronotum) (Helfer 1971, and Otte 1981).

Adult specimens were collected on July 27 and August 19, 1961. No other seasonal data is available (Otte 1984).

The following comes from Helfer (1971) and Otte (1981). The body length for males is 15 mm to 18 mm, and for females 20 mm to 24 mm. Lower marginal area of hind femur is yellowish in males, and orange on both inner and outer faces in females. The abdomen of females is longer than the length of her hind femur, mottled gray dorsally and black on the sides.

Somewhat similar to the Speckled Broad-winged Grasshopper (Chloealtis conspersa), but that species has not been reported occurring in the same geographical range or habitat where Barr’s Grasshopper occurs. The genus name Barracris was established in 1964 but listed in Otte (1981), as Chrysochraon (Helfer 1971).

A series of specimens were collected above timberline on rockslides at about 9,000 feet by W.F. Barr, entomologist with the University of Idaho, who noted “They were only on and around the rocks. I could not find any specimens…in any open area where soil had accumulated and where bits of vegetation were present” (Helfer 1971, and Otte 1984).

Not known.

Not known.