Subdominant
Guides
Spharagemon equale equale
Orangelegged Grasshopper, Say's Grasshopper
Spharagemon equale equale is a relatively large bandwinged grasshopper native to western North American grasslands. Adults are distinguished by orange hind tibiae and orange inner hind femora marked with dark bands. The subspecies is polyphagous, feeding on diverse grasses and forbs with documented regional variation in plant preferences. It is a subdominant member of rangeland grasshopper assemblages, typically occurring at low densities with minor economic impact except during rare population increases. The species is a strong flier with long wings extending beyond the abdomen, and both sexes crepitate in flight.
Trachyrhachys aspera
Finned Grasshopper
Trachyrhachys aspera, commonly known as the finned grasshopper, is a medium-sized band-winged grasshopper native to the shortgrass prairie ecosystems of western North America. This species exhibits strong habitat fidelity to blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) dominated grasslands, where it functions as a subdominant member of grasshopper assemblages. The species is notable for its late-season phenology, hatching approximately four weeks after the sympatric Trachyrhachys kiowa, and for its highly specialized diet consisting almost exclusively of blue grama grass. Despite its potential economic impact as a forage competitor with livestock, populations have remained chronically low with no documented outbreak events.