Phoetaliotes nebrascensis

Distinguished from similar grasshoppers by the disproportionately large head and slanted face. The combination of short wings (in most individuals), blue hind tibia, and brown dorsal stripe on hind femur that extends into the ventral half of the medial area is diagnostic. Nymphs identifiable by large head with fuscous vertical stripe below and horizontal stripe behind compound eye, contrasting with light gray head; pronotal disk with fuscous wedge-shaped stripe; hind femur with pronounced dorsal stripe extending into medial area; hind tibia pale yellow with front fuscous in instars I–III, blue in instars IV–V.

Tall, lush grasslands. Dominant in tallgrass prairie; common in taller types of mixedgrass prairie. In shorter grasslands, occurs locally in patches of tall grass in swales, ravines, stream corridors, and roadsides. Requires vegetation height for perching behavior.

North American grasslands. Center of distribution in Flint Hills tallgrass prairie (eastern Kansas into Oklahoma and Nebraska). Extends west through mixedgrass prairie to shortgrass prairie (rare), bunchgrass prairie of west-central Idaho, and desert grasslands of southern Arizona. Recorded from California, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Mexico (Northeast and Southwest).

Late-developing species. Hatching begins approximately one month after Ageneotettix deorum: as early as May 22 in eastern Kansas tallgrass prairie, June 8 in southeastern Montana, and June 13 in southeastern Wyoming. Hatching continues for four weeks or longer. Adults appear mid to late July in Kansas, early August in southeastern Wyoming.

Feeds almost exclusively on grasses, unusual for a spur-throated grasshopper. In tallgrass prairie: little bluestem, big bluestem, Kentucky bluegrass. In mixedgrass prairie: principally western wheatgrass. In bunchgrass prairie: bluebunch wheatgrass, sand dropseed. Laboratory tests indicate preference for downy brome, Scribner panicum, barnyardgrass, witchgrass, junegrass, foxtail barley, and forbs including dandelion, meadow salsify, skeletonweed—though these forbs are rarely consumed in nature.

Egg stage: eggs deposited in soil pods 1–1.25 inches long, slightly curved, containing 28 eggs (short-winged females) or 20–24 eggs (long-winged females). Eggs olive to brownish yellow, 4.1–4.4 mm long, located relatively deep in soil (one inch or more). Nymphal stage: five instars required; nymphal period approximately 55 days from first instar to adult. Extended development attributed to perching on tall grasses in cooler microclimate. Adult stage: short-winged adults remain in natal area; long-winged adults capable of flight and dispersal.

Phytophilous: spends most of day and night perched vertically head-up on grass stems and leaves at heights of 6–12 inches. Feeds by eating leaf edges, creating long gouges along one side while leaving narrow edge intact; may feed head-up or head-down, turning to resume head-up position after feeding. Basks in morning 2–3 hours after sunrise by turning side perpendicular to sun and lowering associated hindleg; second basking period in late afternoon. On cold nights, moves lower on grass or under litter. Short-winged adults disperse by crawling and hopping; observed moving 15 feet in 30 minutes on ground. When habitat dries, moves to adjacent green vegetation; documented moving 30–90 feet to winter wheat fields. Long-winged adults capable of flight dispersal.

Dominant herbivore in tallgrass prairie grasshopper assemblages; densities regularly 3–4 young adults per square yard, reaching 12 per square yard in favorable mixedgrass prairie swales. Contributes to grassland nutrient cycling through herbivory and frass deposition. Serves as prey for vertebrate and invertebrate predators. Wing dimorphism provides population-level bet-hedging: short-winged individuals maintain local populations while long-winged individuals enable colonization of new habitats.

Minor to moderate pest of rangeland. In tallgrass prairie, damage visible but economically insignificant. In mixedgrass prairie during droughts, aggregates in swales and consumes forage needed by livestock and wildlife. Adults occasionally invade winter wheat fields in fall, consuming seedlings to ground level. Laboratory feeding tests suggest potential for damage to additional grass crops if populations shift host preferences.

• Oedaleonotus enigmaSimilar subfamily (Melanoplinae) and prairie habitat; distinguished by P. nebrascensis having much larger head relative to body, blue hind tibia (vs. different coloration in O. enigma), and different wing proportions.
• Melanoplus speciesMany Melanoplus grasshoppers share spur-throated morphology and prairie habitats; P. nebrascensis distinguished by exceptionally large head, slanted face, and nearly exclusive grass diet versus broader plant preferences in most Melanoplus.

• grasshopper
• Melanoplinae
• prairie
• tallgrass
• wing dimorphism
• phytophilous
• grass specialist
• late-season
• pest
• North America
• Acrididae
• Orthoptera

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Largeheaded Grasshopper
• Species Records and Accounts
• List of Species Fact Sheets| Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West
• Food Preference as a Factor in Distribution and Abundance of Phoetaliotes nebrascensis1,2