Species Dissosteira carolina - Carolina Grasshopper

Road Duster

Black-winged Grasshopper

32-58 mm

Color variable: yellowish gray to brown. Sharp ridge on pronotum with one cut. Hind wings black except for yellow along rear margin--distinctive in much of North America, apparently. Hind tibiae yellow. "A strong flier, often seen hovering or in a zig-zag, fluttering flight of courtship." (1) Appears butterfly-like in flight. Males (mostly) crepitate in flight and stridulate (sing).

Most of 48 United States except southern Florida, southern Louisiana, southern Texas, southwest Arizona, and bottom 2/3rds of California. (1)

Found often along roadsides, nearly bare ground.

Mid-summer to fall. May-November (mid-latitudes). Late June-October (Michigan). June-frost (North Carolina).

Grasses, forbs, horsetails (Equisetum).

Spharagemon

Capinera, pp. 88-89, plate 13. (1)

Capinera, pp. 65-66, plates 42, 43 (2)

Helfer, p. 115, fig. 191 (3)

Bland, p. 110 (4)

Salsbury, p. 62 (5)

Brimley, p. 24 (6)

Insects of Cedar Creek

Univ. Wyoming