6. ‘Thick legged’ hoppers (Orphulella, and Dichromorpha).
a. Fore and mid femur of males thickened (compare with other gomphocerines).
b. Antennae simple.
c. Hind tibiae not brightly colored, hind femur not banded, striped, or patched.
d. Tegmina with leading edge strongly arched near base, otherwise parallel sided, not oval, and almost always lacking a white basal streak.
A. Lateral carinae nearly straight, pronotum ‘box-like’, without dorso- posterior triangles, hopper length > 2.5 cm., eastern edge South Dakota.
Dicromorpha viridis
B. Lateral carinae constricted in middle, pronotum often with dorso-posterior black triangles, largest females in size range of above, widespread species.
a. Pronotum cut by one sulcus.
a.’ Pronotum cut by two sulci.
7. Patch legged hoppers (Psoloessa).
a. Hind femur with a dark dorsal triangle at mid-length.
b. Genu (knee) not black.
c. Lateral carinae strongly constricted.
A. Hind tibiae orange, widespread species.
B. Hind tibiae brown, blue-gray, or blue., southern SD.
Psoloessa texana
8. Small ‘toothpick’ hoppers (Cordillacris).
a. Hind femur bi-colored, dark above, light below.
b. Head strongly angled but without a median carnula on vertex.
c. Lateral foveolae not visible from above.
d. Wings reach end of abdomen, but shorter than hind femur.
A. Post-ocular dark band uniform from head onto pronotum.
B. Post-ocular dark band interrupted along lower margin.
9. Odd ones out. A few species do not fit well into the above groups, however, each will have one of the following characters.
a. Males black, both sexes with orange and white hind tibiae, widespread.
b. Posterior angle of pronotum nearly 90o, black, contrasting. Three sulci cut lateral margin, larteral carinae absent. Possible in southwestern SD.
Heliadula rufa.
c. Pronotum with high arching crest on metazona, hindwings yellow and black.