About Arphia ramona Rehn, 1902
Arphia ramona, commonly known as the California orange-winged grasshopper, is a species of band-winged grasshopper in the family Acrididae. Acrididae grasshoppers are often called short-horned grasshoppers, and this group is known to be agriculturally harmful to crops, as their diet includes leaves, flowers, and seeds. This species is distributed across Central America and North America; in California, it occurs from the Coast Ranges to Mt. Diablo. Its hind wings are orange, and its body may be long and slender or short and stout. Adult males measure 23mm to 31mm in length, while adult females range from 30mm to 41mm. Grasshoppers of this species begin to appear in late winter and early spring. The California orange-winged grasshopper is known for producing a cracking noise during flight by rubbing its front wings together. In band-winged grasshoppers, this flight noise made by males and some females is associated with mating. When at rest, their bright orange hind wings are hidden behind their front wings, and become visible only when the insect is in flight. They are most commonly found in sunny, open areas of bare soil, and their camouflage coloration lets them blend in with their surrounding habitat. Female grasshoppers lay up to 100 eggs in soil, and hatching nymphs progress through multiple molting stages to complete the species' life cycle.
