Chortophaga viridifasciata

Adults distinguished from similar band-winged grasshoppers by combination of: tectate pronotal disk with acute posterior angle (vs. obtuse in Encoptolophus costalis); hind wings with pale greenish-yellow basal area and faded incomplete dark band; hind tibiae bluish gray or red with proximal tan annulus; ensiform (not clavate) antennae. Nymphs distinguished from Encoptolophus costalis by ensiform antennae (vs. clavate), two distinct longitudinal ridges on outer faces of fore- and midleg femora and tibiae (vs. four with black lines), and entirely green medial area of hind femur in instar I (vs. pink in distal half). Instars IV–V separable by pronotal disk shape: tectate with acute posterior angle in C. viridifasciata vs. moderately sloping with obtuse angle in E. costalis.

Relatively moist areas of short grass, including roadsides, hay meadows, grass meadows, and slopes. In western regions, occupies small moist patches receiving additional moisture from overflow or subirrigation: swales, pond margins, stream banks with western wheatgrass, and irrigated or subirrigated smooth brome stands. More prevalent in eastern United States than in extensive western prairies; distribution patchy in West.

North America from British Columbia to Gulf of Mexico, mostly east of Rocky Mountains; south through Central America to Costa Rica. Widespread and abundant in eastern United States; patchy and localized in western states.

Adults active early spring through summer. In northern and western Great Plains: single-brooded, eggs laid early summer, hatch same summer, nymphs overwinter, adults appear early spring (often first grasshopper active). In Southeast: multiple-brooded, with earlier and more extended hatching periods. In Texas, nymphs present year-round.

Feeds mainly on grasses with preference for succulent plants. Documented host plants include Kentucky bluegrass, foxtail barley, western wheatgrass, quackgrass, little bluestem, junegrass, needleleaf sedge, Penn sedge, orchardgrass, poverty oatgrass, Johnsongrass, Bromus catharticus. Has been observed feeding on forb annual sowthistle even when lush grasses available. Also feeds on ground litter including cut green leaves. Feeds by climbing plant and cutting leaf edge about halfway up, holding cut section with front tarsi.

Five instars during development. Northern/western populations: single-brooded, overwinter as late-instar nymphs, facultative diapause broken by increasing photoperiod in spring. Southern populations: multiple-brooded, no diapause, up to six generations annually possible under laboratory conditions. Eggs 4–4.5 mm long, light tan, laid in pods 1.125–1.25 inches long containing ~25 eggs in bottom half inch, remainder hardened froth. Females bore to depth of 1.25 inches. Oviposition observed in damp sand at pond margins and in bare sandy loam soil.

Strong flier with regular dispersal from nymphal habitat. Evasive flights: males 10–30 feet, females twice that distance, heights 6–24 inches, usually with crepitation (soft buzz); when startled, may fly without crepitation. Males perform crepitating flights to attract females, lasting 1–2 seconds at heights up to 3 feet. Visual and acoustical social displays: males use wing spreading, leg movements (femur-tipping), and stridulation in courtship and aggressive male-male interactions. Behavioral sequences in encounters are stereotyped and non-random, with dominance hierarchies forming. Cold-hardy: fourth instar nymphs survive 48 hours at 0°F. Daily activity includes basking in morning sun, feeding and pottering midday, seeking shade when ground temperatures exceed 120°F.

Primary consumer in grassland ecosystems. One of most abundant and widespread grasshopper species in eastern United States, though populations do not reach outbreak densities (25+ adults per square yard), possibly due to male spacing behavior via acoustic communication. In western regions, occurs at low densities (<1 per square yard) in restricted moist habitats.

Minimal economic damage due to usually low numbers and patchy distribution. In eastern United States may cause minor damage to pastures and hayfields; occasionally recorded in red clover and tobacco fields but likely feeding on weedy grasses invading crops. Used extensively in physiological and cytological research, including studies of heart physiology, nitrogen metabolism, neuroblast development, and chromosome mutagenesis.

• Encoptolophus costalis (dusky grasshopper)Similar green nymphal coloration and habitat preference. Distinguished by clavate (clubbed) antennae vs. ensiform, four longitudinal ridges with black lines on fore- and midleg femora and tibiae vs. two, pink distal hind femur in instar I vs. entirely green, and pronotal disk with obtuse posterior angle vs. acute.
• Eritettix viridis (velvet-striped grasshopper)Shares moist habitat preferences. C. viridifasciata eggs hatch approximately two weeks earlier in eastern Wyoming where both species co-occur.

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• Greenstriped Grasshopper
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Hayden Grasshopper
• An informational analysis of the inter-male behaviour of the grasshopper chortophaga viridifasciata
• Changes in the Distribution of Nitrogen during Starvation in the Grasshopper, Chortophaga viridifasciata De Geer
• Visual and acoustical social displays by the grasshopper Chortophaga viridifasciata (Acrididae: Oedipodinae)
• Studies on cytokinesis in neuroblasts of the grasshopper, Chortophaga viridifasciata (De Geer) I. Formation and behavior of the mitotic apparatus
• Chromosome fragments and other abnormalities induced by mitomycin C in the neuroblast of chortophaga viridifasciata
• THE BEHAVIOR OF ISOLATED HEARTS OF THE GRASSHOPPER, CHORTOPHAGA VIRIDIFASCIATA, AND THE MOTH, SAMIA WALKERI, IN SOLUTIONS WITH DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS OF SODIUM, POTASSIUM, CALCIUM, AND MAGNESIUM
• Formaldehyde‐induced acentric chromosome fragments and chromosome stickiness in Chortophaga neuroblasts