Montana Field Guide

The following is taken from Helfer (1971), Otte (1981), Vickery and Kevan (1985), and Capinera et al. (2004). This is a large gray to dark gray-brown grasshopper, often more heavily speckled than the other Montana Circotettix species. The tegmina (forewings) lack distinct crossbands with a dark brown spotted base behind the thorax. The head is often paler than the thorax and tegmina. The hind wing disk is blueish or can be pale greenish yellow in some geographical locations and populations. The dark crossband is absent but can be indicated by faint blackish markings at the disk margin. The outer face of the hind femur is brown or gray with faint darker bands. The inner face is black with two pale bands and dorsal stripe. The hind tibia is blue or greenish with a sub-basal pale ring.

Communicative behavior/Crepitation*
As described by Daniel Otte: “…Males perform a two-part crepitation flight consisting of a series of widely spaced snapping sounds (estimated at three to five per second) followed by a rapid buzz (estimated at fifteen to twenty-five per second). During a single flight a male may alternate between two crepitations several times as he flies and circles about an area. Flights may last from a few seconds to half a minute or more and cover hundreds of square meters.” Other observers note that this species produces very loud crepitations which can be heard up to more then 700 feet away, the flight is rapid with a series of looping arches. The sharp clicks are followed by the rapid buzz is very similar to the noise made by a rattlesnake (Otte 1984, 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. Adults occur from mid-July through September (Otte 1984, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

The following comes from Helfer (1971), Otte (1981), Vickery and Kevan (1985), and Capinera et al. (2004). The body length to the end of forewings is 26-29 mm for males and for females 30-34 mm.

In Montana, the Undulant-winged Grasshopper can visually and by crepitation be confused with any of the other two Circotettix species, the Carlinian Snapper Grasshopper (Circotettix carlinianus) and the Wrangler Grasshopper (Circotettix rabula), as well as the Carolina Grasshopper (Dissosteira Carolina) and Crackling Forest Grasshopper (Trimerotropis verruculata).

This species inhabits rocky and gravelly areas such as rockslides, cliffs, rocky ravines, talus slopes and sometimes roadsides. Most preferred habitats are scantily vegetated, but with numerous forbs such as Phlox sp., Penstemon sp., and Lupinus sp. habitats where grasshopper diversity and abundance are generally low (Otte 1984, and Vickery and Kevan 1985).

The Undulant-winged Grasshopper is a mixed feeder of grasses and forbs.

No detailed studies have been found in the literature relative to courtship and mating for this species beyond the male flight displays (refer to section on Communicative behavior/Crepitation).