Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Acrididae Members: NC Records

Chloealtis conspersa (Harris, 1841) - Sprinkled Broad-Winged Grasshopper

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Taxonomy
Family: Acrididae Subfamily: Gomphocerinae Tribe: Chrysochraontini
Comments: One of five species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Otte, 981; Cigliano et al., 2018), and the only one found in the East.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Capinera et al. (2004)Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIFTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Blatchley (1920); Otte (1981)                                                                                  
Comments: A medium-small, sexually dimorphic grasshopper. In males, the lateral lobes of the pronotum are solid black; in females, they are paler brown to gray-brown and often speckled. The dorsal surfaces of the head and thorax are pale brown to straw yellow in both sexes. The lower half of the abdomen is black, as are the hind knees. The hind tibiae are orange to red (Otte, 1981), which serves to distinguish this species from other species of slant-faced grasshoppers occurring in the same area.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 15-20 mm, males; 20-28 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)
Structural Features: Tegmina in females usually are only half the length of the abdomen but reach the tip of the abdomen in the males (Blatchley, 1920).
Singing Behavior: Males stridulate both for calling, courtship, and agonistic interactions (Blatchley, 1920; Otte, 1970)
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Adult Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Morse (1920) reported that conspersa is associated with dry upland pastures. Blatchley (1920) noted a preference for thickets. Otte (1981) adds dry, upland wooded areas. Females oviposit in dead wood (Scudder, 1874, described by Otte, 1981), so at least some woody species must be present.
Diet: Apparently not reported but probably consisting of graminoids
Observation Methods: Best found by walking through its habitat and flushing individuals into making short jumps. Females are relatively easy to capture but males often make several rapid jumps when disturbed and often seek shelter in viney tangles (Rehn, 1904 -- repeated Blatchley, 1920 and by Otte, 1981).
Abundance/Frequency:
Adult Phenology: Adults have been recorded in North Carolina from July to October
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W3]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 [SU]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This is a primarily northern species that is restricted to relatively high elevations in North Carolina. All of our records are historic but the fact that it is associated with relatively common habitat types indicates that it is likely to still occur in the state.