Saussure鈥檚 Blue-winged Grasshopper (Leprus听intermedius) is one of several species of grasshopper exhibiting blue wings,听but听this species听can be听further听distinguished from those similar by its strong blue听pigmentation on the听underside of the thorax and abdomen.听Named after the accomplished Swiss entomologist and taxonomist Henri de Saussure, these grasshoppers can be found throughout the Southwestern United States and into Mexico occupying steep, rocky terrain.听This species rarely flies long distances, with adult females typically just hopping about despite having fully developed wings.听
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This听particular specimen听was databased and imaged听by听the CU Museum of Natural History鈥檚 Entomology Collections as a part of a grant provided by a larger collections network called SCAN听(Symbiota听Collections of Arthropods Network).听SCAN is made up of a centralized database of arthropod collections from over 100 North American collections, including high resolution images like this one.听听This specimen was collected on a primarily herpetology-focused trip by Paul Maslin, then CU Museum Curator of Zoology, and Herman听Fehlmann, a Colorado native herpetologist who went on to work with the Smithsonian and George Vanderbilt Foundation.听听Although neither Maslin nor听Fehlmann听were entomologists, the collection of this specimen during an otherwise herpetological endeavor sheds light on the striking beauty of the Saussure鈥檚 Blue-winged Grasshopper, not even passed up by two vertebrate-loving scientists!听