5. Blotch winged locusts (Pardalophora, Xanthippus, Cratypedes, and Hippiscus).
a. Tegmina blotched, without transverse bands.
b. Lateral lobes of pronotum rounded.
c. Hind tibiae yellow, orange, or coral red.
d. Pronotum rugose or tuberculate.
e. Eyes not bulging, not higher than vertex.
A. Pronotum cut by one sulcus.
a. Prozona as long or longer than metazona, inner face of hind femur crossed by two black fasciae, hindwings yellow.
a.’ Prozona shorter than metazona, other characters variable but not with the above combination.
b. Hind wings red, hind femur crossed by two black fasciae on inner face, cubital area of tegmina fuscous.
b.’ Hindwings red or yellow, hind femur without black fasciae, cubital area of hindwing with fuscous blotches.
B. Pronotum cut by two sulci.
a. Lateral lobes of pronotum with concave posterior margin, inner face of hind femur with two black fasciae.
a.’ Lateral lobes of pronotum with straight posterior margin, inner face of hind femur without black fasciae.
b. Tegmina with well defined and more or less transverse dark blotches on outer 1/4, a widespread species.
b.’ Tegmina with blotches smaller, more or less longitudinal and following veins on outer 1/4, a local species.
6. Orange shanked bandwings (Hadrotettix, Spharagaemon, and some Trimerotropis).
a. Pronotum smooth.
b. Tegmina not blotched unless also crossed by pale bands.
c. Hind tibiae orange.
A. Pronotum cut by one sulcus (in questionable specimens, assume two).
a. Hind tibiae with a black ring separating white basal area from orange shaft.
a.’ Hind tibiae without black ring.
b. Metazona in lateral view arched and higher than prozona, pronotum mottled, rarely bicolored.
b.’ Metazona not arched, lower than prozona, pronotum bicolored.
B. Pronotum cut by two sulci.
a. Tegmina with three transverse bands, without spots except faintly at base.
b. Inner face of hind femur blue-black, outer face of hind femur crossed by one diagonal fascia.
b.’ Inner face of hind femur orange or yellow with two black fasciae, outer face with a transverse band below apex.
Trimerotropis pistrinaria
a.’ Tegmina spotted, transverse bands present or absent.
b. Lateral lobes of pronotum pointed.
b.’ Lateral lobes of pronotum rounded posteriad.
c. Hindwings with weakly defined black spur pointing basad, outer face of hind femur with obscure mottling.
c.’ Hindwings with black spur reaching about 1/2 distance to wing base, outer face of hind femur with two dark bands.
7. Crackling bandwings (Circotettix and Trimerotropis in part).
a. Pronotum smooth.
b. Median carina cut by two sulci.
c. Hind tibiae not orange.
d. Venal veins of hw enlarged.
e. Tegmina always broadly rounded.
A. Venal vein cells at mid-hindwing only slightly larger than cells along costal margin.
a. Hindwings fuscous in basal third, otherwise clear.
a.’ Hindwings translucent yellow with poorly defined fuscous outer band.
B. Venal cells at mid-hindwing twice the size of cells along costal margin.
a. Tegmina without transverse bands.
b. Fuscous band of hindwings broad and opaque.
b.’ Fuscous band of hindwings narrow, interrupted and translucent.
Trimerotropis verruculata
a.’ Tegmina with transverse bands.
b. Hindwings clear or with pattern faint, black bands never well defined.
c. Hindwings clear or slightly bluish.
c.’ Hindwings with pattern faint, black band only slightly indicated.
Trimerotropis salina
b.’ Hindwings with well defined black and yellow pattern.
c. Hind tibiae blue, face crossed by two dark bands.
c.’ Hind tibiae yellowish, face not marked as above.
d. Hind wings with dark marginal band and spur about equidistant from body, forewing transverse bands usually indistinct on dorsal field.
Trimerotropis fratercula
d.’ Hind wings with dark marginal band ending much closer to body than spur, forewing transverse bands usually complete to inner margin.
8. High-crested hoppers. (Acrolophitus and Tropidolophus).
a. Pronotum with high arching crest.
b. Hindwings with broad black band and clear apex.
A. Crest on metazona, disc of hindwings yellow.
B. Crest on both pro- and metazona, disc of hindwngs orange. Possible in southwestern SD.
Tropidolophus formosus*
--Note: A. hirtipes is a member of the Gomphocerinae.