Taeniopda Eques or Horse Lubber Grasshopper that alighted by me in Tombstone Arizona
It feeds mainly on foliage, flowers, and seed pods of low-growing summer desert annuals. T. eques only forages during daylight hours; at night it roosts near the tops of desert shrubs to hide from nocturnal ground predatorsT. eques is one of the largest grasshopper species in North America. A female of the species can reach 7 centimeters in length and weigh 9 grams. The mature male weighs 3 grams on average. There is a wide range of sizes due to influences in its specific habitat. Males stridulate more commonly than females by expanding the hindwings against the closed forewings, thus flashing the bright red hindwings It is unique among desert grasshoppers because of its conspicuous size and coloring. The body is mostly black, with finely patterned black and yellow forewings with green veins and red hindwings with black borders. The antennae and head of the adult include orange markings. The forewings of males normally extend past the tip of the abdomen.[6] However, most T. eques cannot fly, with only approximately 10 percent of males possessing wings long enough for flightThe T. eques nymph resembles the adult in coloration, except the nymph also possesses yellow head markings and black antennae.
Size: 4608px × 3456px
Location: Tombstone, Arizona, USA
Photo credit: © Brenda Kean / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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