Latin Name:  Metator pardalinus (Saussure, 1884)
                        (D.L. Johnson, det.)

Length:  27 - 42 mm

Range: Alberta

Habitat:   Prairie and parklands

Time of year seen:  July to September

Diet: Grass and sedges

Other:  The Blue-legged grasshopper is an inhabitant of the short grass prairie.  Although they are good fliers, they only do so infrequently or when disturbed.  The adult grasshoppers wings maybe either yellow or red.  When on the ground the adults are constantly crawling around.  The preferred food plants include grasses and sedges.  Both adults and nymphs also consume large quantities of dry clay and fine grained sand.  (Johnson, 2005 & Vickery et al, 1985)