Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Acrididae Members: NC Records

Eritettix simplex (Scudder, 1869) - Velvet-striped Grasshopper

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Taxonomy
Family: Acrididae Subfamily: Gomphocerinae Tribe: Eritettigini
Comments: One of four species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Cigliano et al., 2018), and the only one that occurs in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Capinera et al. (2004)Online Photographs: BugGuide; OSF, Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIFTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Blatchley (1920); Otte (1981)                                                                                  
Comments: A small, yellowish-green to brown, Slant-faced Grasshopper. Males are usually are brown or gray and rarely show any trace of green; females are more variable and range from green and yellow to brown (Otte, 1981). The lateral carina of the pronotum are white and contricted in the middle. They are bordered medially by either dark triangles on both the prozona and metazona or by more continuous dark bands. The lateral lobes of the metazona typically possess a narow white line that curves downward towards the rear. Orphullela species are similar in size and sometimes in color but lack the medial dark shades bordering the carina on the prozona; they also lack the white line on the rear of the lateral lobes.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 16-20 mm (to end of tegmina), males; 21-26 mm, females (Otte, 1981)
Structural Features: Antennae are somewhat ensiform. The tegmina are usually longer than the abdomen but usually do not extend beyond the ends of the hind femora. The lateral carinae of the pronotum are cut by a single sulcus, as in Orphulella speciosa, but the head and pronotum possess three accessory median carinae not found in our other species of Slant-faced Grasshoppers (Otte, 1981).
Singing Behavior: Males stridulate loudly during both courtship and agonistic inter-actions (Otte, 1970; 1981)
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: Inhabits treeless slopes and valleys along the eastern slopes of the Appalachians (Rehn and Hebard, 1910), probably referring to pastures rather than remnant prarie-like grassland communities.
Diet: Feeds purely on grasses and sedges in prairie habitats, feeding primarily on Grama grasses (Bouteloua) (Otte, 1981).
Observation Methods: Best found by walking through its habitat and flushing individuals into making short jumps.
Abundance/Frequency: Otte (1981)reported that this species is common along the eastern slopes of the Appalachians
Adult Phenology: Rehn and Hebard (1910) found adults as early as April in North Carolina. Our latest records are from June.
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
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: Our records are all historic and relatively few in number. However, they come from across a wide area of the state and probably from relatively common types of habitats, including pastures and hayfields. More information is needed to determine its current distribution and status in North Carolina.