Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States

A grayish or brownish species, distinctively marked with a curved, dark band on the lateral lobes of the pronotum, and two or three broad bands crossing the forewings. Most specimens bear a dark stripe on the face that connects with the lower part of each eye. Hind wings are brightly colored basally, and may be yellow, orange, or rosy red; they also bear a curved black band. Hind tibiae are blue or yellow. Males are 22-32 mm long, females 27-40 mm.

This medium-sized species is fairly easy to distinguish from other band-winged species; it is similar to other Mestobregma species, but those species that occur in the United States are less common. The narrow-fronted grasshopper, M. impexum, is quite similar, and is distinguished from the Platt range grasshopper by the weak, irregular black bands on the forewings. Also, this species lacks a black line on the face.