Montana Field Guide

The following is taken from Hebard (1928), Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985) Richman et al. (1993), Capinera et al. (2004), Brust et al. (2008), and Scott (2010). This large grasshopper is grayish to reddish-brown with two distinct dark bands on the tegmina (forewings) and pale bands between. The pale bands are constricted in the dorsal half of the wing, widening ventrally. The pronotum (thorax) is delicately textured, cut with shallow sulci (grooves). The median carina (ridge) is usually low and often faint on the posterior two-thirds of the pronotum. The hindwing disk is pale yellow, sometimes whitish, with a broad black band, sometimes wider than the disk, with a short, thick spur extending less than halfway to the base. The outer face of the hind femur is pale with a poorly developed black band which may be absent. The inner face of the hind femur is pale or orangish, with the apical area black and a black band and knee, very similar to Barren Land Grasshopper (T. pistinaria). The hind tibia is red or bright orange with a pale-yellow marking on the outer surface at the base. Dark forms often occur where the anterior dark band of the tegmina is wide merging to the wing base and the outer face of the hind femur is dark with a terminal pale band (see images).

Communicative behavior/Crepitation*
Considered to be a strong erratic flier and difficult to capture, producing a soft crepitation. No other behaviors or signals have been reported in the literature (Vickery and Kevan 1985).

*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.

This species overwinters in the egg stage. Nymphs appear from May to early June. Adults occur from early July to September (Capinera and Sechrist 1982, Otte 1984, Vickery and Kevan 1985, Capinera et al. 2004, Brust et al. 2008, and Scott 2010).

The following comes from Hebard (1928), Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Capinera and Sechrist (1982), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), Richman et al. (1993), Capinera et al. (2004), Brust et al. (2008), and Scott (2010). The body length to the tip of forewings is 30-41 mm for males, and 37-49 mm for females.

In Montana, this species can be easily confused with Barren Land Grasshopper (T. pistinaria) and sometimes with Say’s Grasshopper (Spharagemon equale) (Otte 1984, and Scott 2010).

The Broad-banded Grasshopper inhabits open dry grasslands, often with bare, sandy-alkaline flats where the conspicuous vegetation consists of sagebrush, Artemesia sp. and Greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus). Vegetative habitat cover can vary from sparse to dense combinations of shrubs, grasses, and forbs (Otte 1984, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

This species is a mixed feeder, preferring Western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii) (Brooks 1958, Otte 1984, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

Unknown.