Montana Field Guide

The following is taken from Hebard (1928), Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), Richman et al. (1993), and Brust et al. (2008). The general body color can vary from grayish, pale brown to reddish and finely speckled. The pronotum (thorax) has a distinct, bilobed central carina (ridge) which is lower on the posterior section (metazona). The forewings (tegmina) are grayish with scattered dark spots forming poorly defined bands. The hindwings are variable, being completely clear, tinted bluish, or very pale yellow; the band is barely indicated or absent. The outer face of the hind femur has small dark bands only on its dorsal surface. The inner surface is pale, with a black marking on the basal half and a black ring on the apical half. The hind tibia is pale yellow, sometimes mottled with brown.

Communicative behavior/Crepitation*
This species performs short, erratic flights producing loud crepitation just before alighting on the ground. No other communicative behavior signals have been reported (Brooks 1958, and 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 occur in spring, and adults are common in late July to September (Otte 1984, Vickery and Kevan 1985, and Brust et al. 2008).

The following comes from Hebard (1928), Brooks (1958), Helfer (1971), Otte (1984), Vickery and Kevan (1985), Richman et al. (1993), and Brust et al. (2008). The body length to tip of forewings is 24-32 mm for males, and 30-42 mm for females. Hindwing veins (3A, 4A and 5A) in the disk are usually dark and thickened.

The Great Basin Grasshopper can be confused with Thomas’ Slender Grasshopper (Trimerotropis gracilis). This species’ hind femur inner face has two pale bands (T. gracilis has one) (Otte 1984).

The Great Basin Grasshopper, despite its broad western geographical range, is a relatively rare species, being found in small colonies which are considered to be isolated from one another by a considerable distance. It inhabits bare eroded areas, alkaline flats, eroded hillsides, and clay badlands. It is not considered a true desert species; but is only found in very arid areas. The species is rarely, if ever, found in sagebrush steppe habitats (Brooks 1958, Otte 1984, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

Unknown.

Unknown.