Montana Field Guide

The following comes from Helfer (1971), Otte (1981), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Vickery and Kevan (1985), McDaniel (1987), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), and Scott (2010). A small brownish grasshopper marked with dark, bold stripes. The side of the head behind the eye is marked with a black triangular stripe which broadens onto the lateral side of the pronotum. The hind tibia is pale gray to yellowish, often becoming blackish at the distal end.

Overwinters in the egg stage. Adults occur from June to mid-September (Capinera et al. 2004, Capinera and Sechrist 1982, Otte 1984, Pfadt 2002, Scott 2010, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

The following is taken from Helfer (1971), Otte (1981), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Vickery and Kevan (1985), McDaniel (1987), Pfadt (2002), Capinera et al. (2004), and Scott (2010). Male body length is 13 mm to 19 mm and females 16 mm to 26 mm. The forewings (tegmina) have a wavy or scalloped (crenulated) dark stripe which is diagnostic for this species. A dark stripe runs from below the eye to top of the mandibles.

Can be confused with its congener the Spotted-wing Grasshopper (Cordillacris occipitalis), which lacks the scalloped stripe on the forewing.

Inhabits shortgrass prairie, gravelly areas, heavily grazed sites, and areas that are thinly vegetated (Brust et al. 2008, Capinera et.al. 2004, Capinera and Sechrist 1982, Otte 1984, Pfadt 2002, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

The Crenulated Grasshopper is a grass feeder, favoring blue gramma (Bouteloua gracilis) but feeds on other species such as hairy grama, buffalograss (Munroa squarrosa), witch panicgrass (Panicum capillare), needle-and-thread (Stipa comata), needleleaf sedge (Carex duriuscula), and some forbs such as tansy aster and flax (Capinera et al. 2004, Capinera and Sechrist 1982, Helfer 1971, Otte 1984, Pfadt 2002, Vickery and Kevan 1985).

The following comes from Otte (1984), Pfadt (2002), and Vickery and Kevan (1985). Courting males walk about on bare ground raising and lowering their hind femora. At the same time he raises and lower his antennae, touching the substrate. Females lay their eggs in patches of blue gramma (Bouteloua gracilis) producing two to three eggs per oviposit, but do not produce a pod to protect them. Upon hatching, the nymphs pass through 4 instars (sometimes 5 instars) before reaching the adult stage.