Large-headed Grasshopper
Phoetaliotes nebrascensis
Identification 6
Usually the head is noticeably large, especially from above, but it is not always as clear cut as you might hope. Could be confused with Red-legged Grasshopper, Migratory Grasshopper, or any of the less common Melanoplus. Adult wings are usually short, but can be long in 0.5-5.5% of individuals. Hind tibiae are blue, greenish, or purplish. Male cerci are triangular. In summary, look for large head, short wings, blue tibiae, and triangular cerci.
Resources 6
Grasshoppers of the Western U.S.: http://idtools.org/id/grasshoppers/factsheet.php?name=13212
Capinera, J.L., R.D. Scott, and T.J. Walker. 2004. Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States. Cornell University Press.
Occurrence 6
Knutson (1937) reported this species 7 counties in the west and 1 county in east. SCAN has 13 records. BugGuide has a single record for the state, but iNaturalist does not have any records yet. Records are mostly from the west and north (northeast) edges of the state.
Habitat 6
According to Grasshoppers of the Western U.S., it prefers tall grasses and can be the dominate species in tallgrass prairie.
Sources and Credits
- (c) David Bygott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by David Bygott
- (c) panhandlegal, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by panhandlegal
- (c) Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steven Mlodinow
- (c) ellen hildebrandt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ellen hildebrandt
- (c) Mathew Zappa, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Mathew Zappa
- (c) Tyler Grant, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
