Boopedon

Males are strikingly black with functional wings; hind wing disk pale blue with black apical area. Females are large, pale brown to dark brown or black, with short nonfunctional wings (rare individuals with long wings). Hind tibia coloration variable: entirely black, or black and red, or cream-black-red. Nymphs identifiable by large head with moderately slanted face, tan face with black sides, triangular black spot above antenna base, pronotum without lateral carinae but with light line indicating position, lateral lobe with inverted black triangular marking covering upper two-thirds or less, hind femur with nearly solid black dorsal stripe on medial area, tibia with three pale yellow and three black rings sometimes tinged red, wide tan dorsal band, pale yellow venter.

Western North American grasslands including mixedgrass prairie, shortgrass prairie, sand prairie, and desert prairie. Occupies more luxuriant stands within these habitats. Also recorded from cultivated areas of corn, sorghum, and wheat in Arizona.

Western North America from Montana to Mexico. Documented in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming.

Late-hatching species. Eggs hatch late May to first half of June in eastern Colorado and western Kansas, approximately two to three weeks after Melanoplus sanguinipes. At 5,200 feet elevation in Larimer County, Colorado, hatching began 22 June. In southern Arizona at 5,000 feet, hatching delayed until July following substantial rainfall. Adults emerge mid-July to late July in northern range, August in southern Arizona.

Strictly grass-feeding. Documented consumption includes blue grama, buffalograss, common fallwitchgrass, bristlegrass, common burrograss, hairy grama, western wheatgrass, needleandthread, sand dropseed, prairie sandreed, threadleaf sedge, witchgrass, downy brome, young wheat. Shows feeding preferences in choice tests, refusing western wheatgrass, crested wheatgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, foxtail barley, and young cultivated barley.

Eggs overwinter and hatch the following summer. Nymphal development through five instars; minimum 40 days in eastern Colorado, as rapid as 27 days in Arizona. Females produce multiple egg pods containing 38–62 eggs each; one captive female produced three pods totaling 134 eggs over 62-day adult lifespan. Pods deposited in bare soil between grass clumps and sod during summer and autumn. Large pods 1 7/8 to 2 inches long, 3/16 to 1/4 inch diameter; dark brown eggs 6.5–7.7 mm long.

Diurnal activity pattern: shelters in grass canopies and low shrubs at night, emerges shortly after sunrise to bask perpendicular to sun without lowering hindleg, basking continues up to two hours followed by stirring, preening, leg vibrating, and intermittent walking. Takes evasive action when soil temperature reaches 90°F and air 80°F, either facing directly into or away from sun or seeking shade in vegetation. Feeding observed in evening 5:30–6:30 p.m. Males capable of strong, swift, straight silent flight at approximately 12 inches height for 6–9 feet. Females usually flightless; populations disperse by walking, with documented migrations across low hills to new forage sources when habitat denuded.

Herbivore in grassland ecosystems. At high densities, contributes to assemblages that significantly reduce grass forage biomass. Normally subdominant numerically in grasshopper assemblages but may exceed smaller species in total biomass due to large size. Serves as host for parasitic dipteran Neorhynchocephalus sackenii, which can significantly depress populations.

Economic pest of rangeland forage. Injurious infestations usually involve assemblages where B. nubilum is one of several abundant species. Documented outbreaks in 1955 western Oklahoma (four dominant species including B. nubilum), 1956 and 1965–1966 San Rafael Valley Arizona, and 1973–1979 western Oklahoma on 1.5 million acres. Capable of consuming cultivated corn, sorghum, and wheat. Subject to rangeland grasshopper management programs including insecticide application.

• Bruneria brunneaSame subfamily (Gomphocerinae), distinguished by different coloration and wing structure
• Aulocara femoratumCo-occurs in same habitats and assemblages; Aulocara species are smaller with different pronotal structure
• Melanoplus speciesCo-occur in outbreaks but belong to different subfamily (Melanoplinae), typically with different body shape and hind wing coloration

• grasshopper
• Acrididae
• Gomphocerinae
• rangeland pest
• sexual dimorphism
• western North America
• grassland
• boopie
• Boopedon nubilum
• ebony grasshopper
• late-hatching
• flightless female
• walking dispersal
• grass feeder
• outbreak species
• Neorhynchocephalus sackenii parasite
• rainfall-dependent hatching

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Ebony Grasshopper
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Species Records and Accounts