Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Trimerotropis agrestis barnumi Tinkham, 1960, from Oak City Dunes, Millard County, Utah
Trimerotropis agrestis gracewileyae, Tinkham, 1961, from Cane Springs Dunes, Emery County, Utah
Trimerotropis agrestis hewitti Tinkham, 1964, from ne. of Bruneau, Owyhee County, Idaho
Identification
A distinctive insect, most likely to be confused with Xanthippus montanus, which usually occurs earlier in the year, is usually a bit larger, and which has the spots on the body and tegnina usually larger and less "speckled" looking than in this one.
Subspecies agrestis occurs further east on the Great Plains, and is a bit plainer looking, less likely to have the pale lines on top, has the sides of the pronotum less expanded, and often has some black on the inside of the hind femur (plain reddish on barnami. The two subspecies are isolated from one another on opposite sides of the mountains, except in Wyoming where intermediate looking populations occur. Subspecies agrestis is basically the same insect as more western barnumi, but it's appearance is influenced by contact with T. maritima ssp. citrina, with which it blends where they meet.
Range
Sand areas, mostly on moderately stable dunes in grassland and open woodland, from western New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming westward into Idaho northern Arizona, and Nevada. It is found scattered through most of Utah. It may be in southeastern Oregon.
Season
eggs in winter, adults late spring to autumn. Most common in most areas in July or August.
Food
Perhaps favoring Psoralea species, which seem to be always present where these grasshoppers are present.
Remarks
This basic type, from west of the Great Plains, was described as Trimerotropis agrestis subspecies barnumi by Tinkham in 1960, with other names [gracewileyae and hewitti] to follow for basically the same thing from further west. Otte treated T. barnumi as a distinct species in 1984, with Tinkham's other names as synonyms. There is very little difference between "T. barunumi" and "T. agrestis", but I'm going to separate them the way that Tinkham originally described them here, as subspecies of one species.
Added to this is the fact that T. agrestis merges with T. maritima ssp. citrina on the Great Plains with lots of intermediates occuring wherever the habitats of the two meet. So, a good case can be made for calling T. agrestis and T. agrestis barnumi subspecies of T. maritima!
