Yellowish, brownish, or greenish, usually with distinct pits on the thorax and yellowish dots. Usually there are no large contrasting yellowish spots on the sides of the thorax above the hind legs, but some individuals show indications of these. Usually the coloring is distinctly darker on top than on sides, and with a narrow contrasting pale stripe down the back of the head, pronotum and folded tegmina. Only uncommonly is the stripe reduced in intensity, and rarely missing. The tegmina usually do not contrast in color with the rest of the body, but may be somewhat browner in green individuals. The abdomen usually has a row of dark (usually black) dots near the rear edge of the sides of each segment (may be faint or sometimes absent in far western green specimens). The hind femur is nearly plain in color, but most often there are some black dots, and two darker bars across the top (which may be very faint or absent); there is usually a dark to black stripe at the top sides and front edge of the otherwise pale "knee" on the femur. The hind tibiae are usually yellowish, tan, brown, black, or, (in green individuals) red. The front and middle femora of males are distinctly swollen. The antennae are very long.
In Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico the "typical" form blends with the green western form that was formerly most often known as S. venusta; with green "venusta" occurring mostly in and west of the Rockies, and typical brownish "lineata" eastward from the mountains. Southward, the venusta type overlaps distribution with S. shoshone, yet remains distinct, and behave as a species biologically separate from it.
There is an "aposematic form", which is yellowish with contrasting dark, often blackish or bluish markings that is found in Oklahoma and Texas (and perhaps in adjacent Tamaulipas), and which is given it's own heading here. In fact there seem to be two distinct aposematic forms that differ in color pattern. Intermediates between "normal" coloring and the "aposematic" form are not uncommon, and may resemble S. obscura; however, the contrasting yellowish and dark coloring, and often blue eyes (along with swollen front and middle femora in males) are usually enough to separate them from that species. This form has also been confused with S. albolineata, but occurs further to the east, and is different in color pattern and morphology.
In the northeastern U.S. there is a form in which the coloring is often much like that of S. rubiginosa, but with the morphology of S. lineata. This northeastern form tends to be rather smallish with wings shorter than average, and seems to favor open sandy habitats in places such as pine barrens and along the coast. Inland, it is difficult to decide where this form ends and "typical" lineata begins. There is probably also confusion with both S. alutacea and S. rubiginosa.
