Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Leprus intermedius Saussure 1884 - Stanta Rosa Island, CA
Leprus cyaneus Cockerell 1902 - Raton, NM
Leprus interior Bruner 1905 - Salt Lake City, UT
Identification
Stocky grasshopper with varied coloring in shades of browns and grays (sometimes nearly black). The tegmina are crossed by well defined dark bands, and there are usually two pale lines along their top angles when folded. The wings are usually bright blue, or in some far southwestern areas bright blue-green or green. It is crossed by a broad black curving band near the outer edge, but there is no "spur" extending inward from this. In some small areas (s. Nevada, ne. Arizona, n. Baja) the black band may cover most of the wing. The hind tibia is blue or sometimes green in green-winged individuals.
Leprus wheeleri is the only other species likely to be confused with it. In L. intermedius the wings are more strongly pigmented, the sides of the pronotum widen downward, and the underside of the body usually has strong blue pigmenting along the grooves and depressions. The top of the abdomen is usually rich deep blue. In the usually larger L. wheeleri the wings are more translucent, lighter in color, and range from yellow to pale blue in color, with greenish being most common except on the Great Plains (where yellow is most common). The dark band across the wings is usually narrower and also less strongly pigmented. The hind tibiae are lighter in color too, and vary from yellow to blue, but are most often pale blueish. The sides of the pronotum have the front and back margins nearly parallel, sometimes even slightly narrower at the bottom.
Habitat is another clue. L. wheeleri favors open rolling or slightly broken country, often in hilly plains, valleys, or on the bajadas at the base of cliffs and mountains, and it favors gravelly ground. L. intermedius favors rocky slopes, often very steep. L. wheeleri can be very difficult to catch and often flies long distances, while L. intermedius tends to make short flights and to stick fairly closely to it's steep habitats, with females often just hopping like little toads, and not even flying.
Range
Southwest US and northern Mexico. From central Colorado to west Texas (clipping the tip of the OK Panhandle), and west to the Sierra Nevada in northern California and the Pacific coast in southern California. The distribution in Mexico is poorly documented, but south at least to southern Coahuila, Durango, Sinaloa, and into Baja California Sur.
Season
Adults are seen mostly mid summer to late fall, occasionally as early as late June.
Food
Poorly documented, but probably mixed plants. These will scavenge dead arthropods, and have been known to eat each other in captivity.
