Hadrotettix trifasciatus

Distinguished from similar band-winged grasshoppers by the three dark bands on the tegmina, the pale yellow or white hind wing disk with wide dark outer band, and the distinctive color pattern of the hind legs—dark blue inner femur face with orange or red tibia. The low median carina on the pronotum and long dark antennae with light annuli provide additional diagnostic characters. Nymphs can be identified by similar hind leg color patterns, though first instar tibiae are often gray and tan rather than orange or red.

Occupies shortgrass, desert, and mixedgrass prairies of western North America. Less abundant in tallgrass prairie, where it is restricted to sparse vegetation on gravelly hilltops and slopes. Rare in grass-shrub communities of intermountain basins. Ground-dwelling, resting horizontally on the ground surface surrounded by grass canopy at night.

Widely distributed in grasslands of western North America. Center of distribution in the Southwest's shortgrass and desert prairies. Recorded from Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, and other western states. Dispersal flights have been documented at elevations from 6,700 to 10,000 feet in Colorado mountains.

Hatches early in the season, typically late May in mixedgrass prairie of eastern Wyoming and eastern Montana, with first instar nymphs observed as early as May 9 in some years. Earlier hatching occurs in the Southwest, with first instars present in early May. Nymphal development lasts 56–62 days. Adults appear mid-June in shortgrass prairie of southwest Texas and desert prairie of Arizona, and mid-July in mixedgrass prairie of Montana and Wyoming. Oviposition begins approximately one month after adult emergence.

Polyphagous, feeding chiefly on forbs (75% of crop contents in one study), with grasses and sedges (21%) and arthropod parts (4%) as secondary components. At least 40 forb species recorded in diet. Scarlet globemallow most abundant forb in crop contents (8%), followed by Missouri milkvetch, Virginia pepperweed, scarlet gaura, and breadroot scurfpea (4% each). Western wheatgrass, blue grama, and threadleaf sedge each contributed 4% to crop contents. Observed feeding on ground litter including green or dry grasses, forbs, dead insects, and dry cattle dung. In multiple-choice tests, preferred antelopehorns, milkweed, and narrowleaf bluet.

• Sphaeralcea coccinea - food plantscarlet globemallow, most abundant forb in crop contents
• Astragalus missouriensis - food plantMissouri milkvetch
• Lepidium virginicum - food plantVirginia pepperweed
• Oenothera suffrutescens - food plantscarlet gaura
• Pediomelum esculentum - food plantbreadroot scurfpea
• Pascopyrum smithii - food plantwestern wheatgrass
• Bouteloua gracilis - food plantblue grama, also used for oviposition cover
• Carex filifolia - food plantthreadleaf sedge
• Asclepias asperula - food plantantelopehorns, preferred in multiple-choice tests
• Asclepias - food plantmilkweed, preferred in multiple-choice tests
• Houstonia angustifolia - food plantnarrowleaf bluet, preferred in multiple-choice tests
• Zigadenus - food plantdeath camas, poisonous to livestock
• Asclepias - food plantmilkweeds, poisonous to livestock
• Astragalus - food plantsome milkvetches, poisonous to livestock

Hemimetabolous with four nymphal instars. Eggs hatch in late spring; nymphal development spans 56–62 days depending on temperature. Adults emerge in mid-summer and persist until late summer or fall. Oviposition occurs through plant litter into soil, with females retreating into grass cover (often blue grama or buffalograss). Egg pods are 1 inch long, strongly curved, with egg section 5/8 inch long containing 18–26 eggs. Eggs are large, 7.2–8.7 mm in length, oriented almost vertically in the curved pod. Froth plug occupies 5/8 inch of pod length.

Strong flier capable of dispersal flights; accidentals found at elevations up to 10,000 feet, 10 miles from nearest known population. Flushed flight typically straight with 90-degree turn at end, landing softly by fluttering to ground. Crepitates in flight. Males travel 9–24 feet per flight, females 6–15 feet, both at 12–18 inch heights; with wind assistance, males observed traveling 42 feet. Ground-dwelling, basking horizontally on ground with side perpendicular to sun and hindleg lowered to expose abdomen for approximately two hours after sunrise until soil temperatures reach 80°F. Evades heat by stilting, crawling to thick litter or atop blue grama (elevated ~2 inches), moving to shade, or climbing vegetation to 3 inches when soil temperatures exceed 120°F. Males court females with hind femur tipping motions and stridulation; females reject males by hopping away, raising hind femora with tibiae over back while kicking, or tipping femora.

Consumer of forbs, grasses, and sedges; contributes to nutrient cycling through feeding on plant litter and dry cattle dung. Scavenges dead insects, including conspecifics. Functions as prey for various vertebrate and invertebrate predators in grassland ecosystems. Low densities limit its impact on primary production relative to more abundant grasshopper species.

Limited economic importance due to consistently low population densities (typically <0.1–0.3 per square yard in mixedgrass prairie, up to 4 per square yard in desert prairie). Feeding on good forage grasses would suggest pest status, but research indicates preferential feeding on poor forage plants and plants poisonous to livestock including death camas, milkweeds, and some milkvetches. Not considered a damaging pest or beneficial insect in most western grasslands.

• Metator pardalinusAnother large band-winged grasshopper with overlapping range; distinguished by having five nymphal instars versus four in H. trifasciatus, and different wing banding pattern. Females weigh approximately half as much as H. trifasciatus females.
• Encoptolophus costalisCongeneric species in subfamily Oedipodinae with similar band-winged morphology; distinguished by different wing coloration and banding patterns.

• grasshopper
• band-winged
• rangeland
• western North America
• forb feeder
• large size
• early season
• strong flier

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Threebanded Grasshopper
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Grasshoppers of Colorado
• Species Records and Accounts
• List of Species Fact Sheets| Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West