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

This slender species is variable and indistinct in appearance. Under most conditions, the spotted-wing grasshopper is brown or green, bearing both black and white accents. Large black triangular marks are found dorsally along the posterior margin of the pronotum. Lateral ridges on the upper surface of the pronotum are markedly compressed near the mid-point of the pronotum. A series of small dark rectangular spots is present along the forewings, and is the basis for the name of this species, but numerous speckles are also generally present. A broad dark stripe usually extends from the back of the eye to the base of the forewing. In some coastal locations, larger forms appear, which may be completely green, or bear only some of the aforementioned stripes and marks. On dark soils or in burned forests, blackish forms may occur. Forewings normally extend well beyond the the tip of the abdomen, but individuals with shorter wings are sometimes observed. Hind tibiae are usually brown, but sometimes bluish. Antennal segments are not markedly flattened, appearing thread-like. Males are 18-25 mm long, females 18-28 mm.