Bruneria brunnea

Adults are medium-sized with colorful, variable patterning. The head has a slightly slanted face with a distinctive vertical ivory band running from the base of the antenna to the base of the clypeus and mandible. An ivory or pale tan streak extends from the rear of the eye onto the lateral carina of the pronotum. The pronotum has a median carina incised once. Wings are long, extending approximately to the end of the hind femur or up to 2 mm beyond; tegmina display prominent spots with an ivory streak near the front edge. The medial area of the hind femur shows three light spots within the dark dorsal stripe, and the tibia is orange or red. A less common immaculate tan color pattern occurs in some individuals. Nymphs are distinguished by the slanted face with ivory vertical bar, pronotal markings that change across instars, and hind femur pattern development.

Mixedgrass and bunchgrass prairies, mountain meadows and parklands, and alpine tundra. Occupies hillsides and mountainous terrain in the northwestern United States and adjacent Canada. Found at elevations ranging from 1,600 to 11,100 feet. In the northern mixedgrass prairie, occurs on suitable hillsides with small, local populations extending into eastern North Dakota and southwestern Manitoba.

Northwestern United States and western Canada. Ranges widely in the hills and mountains of the northwestern United States. Documented in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, British Columbia, Manitoba, and North Dakota.

Hatching occurs in June, with timing varying by elevation and yearly snow conditions. In Wyoming mountain meadows, hatching began June 11 in 1994 but was delayed to June 30 in 1995 due to late snowmelt. The hatching period lasts approximately two weeks. Nymphal development requires 40 to 46 days. Adults appear in July, with eclosion periods lasting 16 to 21 days. Oviposition begins approximately 18 days after first adult appearance and continues into late September or early October depending on weather.

Feeds exclusively on grasses and sedges. Documented host plants include Idaho fescue, spikefescue, thickspike wheatgrass, needleandthread, rock sedge, and threadleaf sedge. In the northern mixedgrass prairie, observed feeding on Agropyron, Bouteloua, Carex, Koeleria, and Stipa species. Exhibits feeding selectivity in two-choice tests, preferring certain grass species over others. Feeds by raising diagonally on host plants, cutting leaves above the base, and consuming the detached sections while holding them with the front tarsi.

Eggs overwinter in soil pods. Hatching occurs in June following a two-week period. Four nymphal instars are required to reach adulthood. Nymphal period lasts 40 to 46 days. Adults appear in July and persist into September or early October. Females deposit eggs in pods containing 2 to 10 eggs (average 6). Pods are 1/2 to 5/8 inch long, inserted diagonally into soil with the top 1/4 to 3/8 inch below the surface. Field observations suggest a possible two-year life cycle in mountain meadows and northern grasslands, though this remains unconfirmed by embryonic research.

Geophilous species spending daytime on the ground surface and sheltering in ground litter at night. No individuals found on vegetation or ground surface in early morning. Basking occurs for approximately three hours before becoming active, with individuals presenting a side perpendicular to the sun and lowering the associated hindleg to expose the abdomen. A second basking period occurs in the afternoon. Seeks shelter shortly before sunset. Flushed flight is straight, silent, and low (4 to 6 inches height), traveling 2 to 8 feet. Usually lands on the ground headed away from the intruder. Limited evidence for migration; one long-winged female found frozen on a Montana glacier with migratory species. During the 1920 British Columbia outbreak, high numbers moved from drought-stricken areas to green vegetation in August.

Primary consumer in grassland and alpine meadow ecosystems. Functions as a grass and sedge herbivore. During irruptions, becomes a dominant component of grasshopper assemblages, potentially altering vegetation structure and competing with livestock for forage. At subdominant densities, may contribute to cumulative damage from multi-species infestations.

Economic pest of mountain and foothill grasslands during population irruptions. In 1920, contributed to a severe outbreak covering 2,000 square miles in southwestern British Columbia, comprising 50 percent of the grasshopper assemblage and causing considerable damage to range grasses. During 1988-1994 Wyoming surveys, densities ranged from less than 0.1 to 15 adults per square yard; 80 percent of surveyed sites contained less than one individual per square yard. No experimental damage studies completed; estimates based on adult weights (males 223 mg live weight, females 376 mg).

• Chorthippus curtipennisBoth are slant-faced grasshoppers in the subfamily Gomphocerinae with similar habitat preferences in mountain meadows. C. curtipennis has a more strongly slanted face, antennae that thicken and darken distally, and females typically have short wings. B. brunnea has a slightly slanted face with distinct ivory facial markings and longer wings in both sexes.
• Boopedon nubilumBoth occur in western grasslands and are members of Gomphocerinae. B. nubilum is larger, with striking sexual dimorphism (black males, brown females with short wings), and inhabits lower elevation mixedgrass and shortgrass prairies rather than alpine meadows. B. brunnea shows less sexual dimorphism and reaches higher elevations.

• grasshopper
• Acrididae
• Gomphocerinae
• pest
• rangeland
• mountain meadow
• alpine
• North America
• grass feeder
• slant-faced grasshopper

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Bruner Slantfaced Grasshopper
• Ebony Grasshopper
• Meadow Grasshopper
• List of Species Fact Sheets| Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West
• Kennicott Grasshopper
• Grasshoppers of Colorado