Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West

Entomology

Hesperotettix speciosus (Scudder)

Geographic distribution - ranges from southern Illinois west to Colorado and Montana and southwest to Texas and New Mexico (Blatchley, 1920). In Colorado it occurs in the eastern part of the state and into the foothills (Gillette, 1904).

Colorado Distribution Map

Habitat - weedy pastures with light, well-drained soil. (Alexander and Hilliard, 1969; Coppock, 1962).

Food habits - forbivorous preferring western ragweed, common sunflower and goldenrod (Mulkern et al., 1969).

Eggs - 15 eggs are deposited within a pod. Average egg length, 5 mm; average width, 1.5 mm (Isely, 1938).

Adult - medium size. General color is uniform green. Median carina is pink or red. Antennae are red. Face is moderately slanted back. Tegmina are somewhat reduced, not reaching the tip of the abdomen. Pronotum is roughly sculptured; dorsal posterior margin is rounded. Wings are clear. Hind femora are reddish dorsally. Hind tibiae are pale green. Male length, 20 mm; female 28 mm (Coppock, 1962).

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