Blue-winged grasshopper, saltamontes de alas azules

Description:

Medium-sized grasshopper, between 15 and 21 mm for males and between 22 to 28 mm for females. The body coloration varies greatly depending on the substrate on which the animals have developed: reddish brown, gray, yellowish, or even completely dark or bright. The forewings are crossed most often by two or three pale bands, but the most striking characteristic, very visible when the insect flies away, is the bright coloration of the hind wings, a beautiful turquoise highlighted with a black marginal stripe. Furthermore, the posterior femora have a notch on their upper surface.

Habitat:

Spotted in open prairies in the mountains, with cattle. 1500 m. high in Sierra de Gredos

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/500 sec.; f/11; ISO Speed Rating: 400. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.