Arphia

Arphia species are distinguished from other band-winged grasshoppers by the combination of triangular or quadrilateral lateral foveolae on the head, a low but distinct median carina of the pronotum that is uniformly elevated and incised once in front of the middle, and hind wings with colored disks (red, yellow, or orange) that extend beyond the abdomen when folded. Long wings extending past the abdomen tip in both sexes separate them from short-winged genera. Species-level identification relies on hind wing color, body coloration, and seasonal timing of adult presence.

Grassland prairies, desert shrub communities with grassy understory, and mountain meadows up to 11,000 feet elevation. Inhabits areas where grasses form part of the vegetation structure, including shortgrass prairie, mixedgrass prairie, and montane grasslands.

Western North America from Alaska to Mexico, including the Rocky Mountain region, Great Plains, and southwestern United States. Specific distribution varies by species; some have restricted ranges while others span the entire western region.

Adult activity periods vary by species and elevation. Low-elevation species such as Arphia conspersa are present as adults in spring (April onwards), while high-elevation populations may not emerge until July. Some species show autumn adult activity. Nymphs typically hatch in mid-summer and overwinter in late instars.

Feeds primarily on grasses and sedges. Specific host plants include Kentucky bluegrass, prairie junegrass, western wheatgrass, needle-and-thread, blue grama, downy brome, threadleaf sedge, needleleaf sedge, sand dropseed, and sixweeks fescue. Small amounts of forbs, fungi, and arthropods are occasionally ingested.

Eggs are laid in pods containing 20-21 eggs, deposited more than 2 inches into bare soil. Life cycle duration varies with climate: one year in favorable temperature regimes, two years in colder habitats. Nymphs develop through five instars, with fifth instars overwintering. Nymphs can survive freezing to -16°C. Metamorphosis to adulthood occurs in early spring at lower elevations, potentially as late as July at high elevations.

Males produce crepitation sounds by snapping wings together during appetitive flights lasting 1-3 seconds, describing arcs 6-10 feet long and 3 feet high. These flights function in courtship and mate location, occurring every 3-4 minutes at peak activity. Evasive flights range 4-45 feet and are accompanied by crepitation or may be silent. Courtship occurs on ground: males approach females in spurt-runs, stridulate with 1-3 chirps, wave antennae, and mount from rear after a series of displays including stomping hind tarsi. Females may solicit males by presenting their side, lowering the near hindleg, and raising the opposite hindleg and tegmina to expose the abdomen. Feeding occurs from horizontal position on ground; standing leaves are cut at base and consumed on ground or dropped. Individuals bask by orienting sides to sun, become immobile at low temperatures, and assume stilt posture or seek shade at soil surface temperatures of 105°F.

Herbivore in grassland ecosystems. Low population densities (typically 0.05-0.1 adults per square yard in prairies, 20-120 per acre in montane habitats) limit overall impact on vegetation. Serves as prey for vertebrate and invertebrate predators. Thermal niche partitioning with co-occurring grasshopper species such as Trimerotropis suffusa reduces interspecific competition.

Minimal economic impact on grazing land due to consistently low population densities. Feeds on quality forage but does not reach pest levels. Occasionally monitored in rangeland grasshopper management programs. Subject of behavioral and thermal ecology research.

• TrimerotropisBoth are band-winged grasshoppers with colored hind wings, but Trimerotropis species typically have different pronotal carina structure and wing venation patterns.
• DissosteiraLarge rangeland grasshoppers with long wings, but Dissosteira lacks the distinct median pronotal carina incision and crepitation behavior characteristic of Arphia.
• CircotettixBand-winged grasshoppers with crackling flight sounds, but Circotettix species have different body proportions and pronotal shapes.

• grasshopper
• band-winged
• crepitation
• western North America
• grassland
• thermal ecology
• acoustic communication
• Oedipodinae

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Specklewinged Grasshopper
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Species Records and Accounts
• Visual and Acoustical Social Displays by the Grasshopper Arphia Conspersa (Orthoptera: Acrididae)
• Thermal niche partitioning in the grasshoppers Arphia conspersa and Trimerotropis suffusa from a montane habitat in central Colorado