Latin Name:  Dissosteira carolina Linnaeus, 1758
                        (R. Bercha, det.)

Length:  Male: 26 - 30 mm
                Female: 34-40 mm

Range: Southern 2/3 of Alberta

Habitat: Various

Time of year seen:  Summer (Additional Sightings)

Diet: Grasses and forbs 

Other: D. carolina is a large grasshopper that is typically found in open areas with sand and gravel (such as gravel pits, railway beds and roads).  It is easily identified by its characteristic black wings with yellow rims.  The body color ranges from tan to dark brown to black and is dependent on the coloration of the substrate that the grasshopper lived on during its development.  The adults fly well and can hover above the ground.  Their flight is similar to a butterfly's in its fluttery wavering nature. Females are larger then the males.  There is one generation per year.  Population explosions of this grasshopper are partially controlled by the fungus Entomophaga grylli.  Economically the Black-winged Grasshopper is not a significant pest, causing minor damage to tobacco, cereals, grasses and alfalfa crops. (Vickery and Kevan, 1985)