Gulf Dune Grasshopper

Very much like Trimerotropis salina which occurs further north, and reliably distinguished probably only by it's occurrence near the Gulf Coast in Texas, though the dark band of the hind wing is rarely so broad in T. salina . From T. maritima , with which it may occur, it differs in usually having more distinct dark bands across the tegmina, yellowish hind tibiae (usually red in maritima ) and the much wider black band across the hind wings. T. maritima has a proportionately smaller head as well. T. pallidipennis may occasionally be found with T. schaefferi , and differs in having a proportionately smaller head, and a much narrower dark band across the longer/narrower hind wing. T. saxatilis is smaller, with a narrower wing band, and occurs on rock exposures further inland. The coloring is usually (but not always) more contrasting. The two will probably never be found together in the same area. The distinction of this species from Trimerotropis salina seems dubious as there is little to distinguish them other than where they are found and the width of the dark hind wing band. T. salina occurs inland from Texas north at least to South Dakota and Wyoming in bare seasonally moist alkali and saline areas of the grasslands of the Great Plains, and in a somewhat different form in similar habitats of the Great Basin. Most populations of T. salina tend have most individuals more plain in coloring of the body and tegmina, but this is an average difference, and not constant. Alkali and salt flats in Texas should be explored to see if there is a break between the two species. Texas Parks & Wildlife considers this to be a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)