Highly Polymorphic Microsatellites in the North American Snakeweed Grasshopper, Hesperotettix Viridis (Report‪)‬

Introduction The grasshopper Hesperotettix viridis (Thomas) is oligophagous, feeding on composites (Asteraceae) in the tribe Astereae (Mulkern et al. 1969; Joern 1979; Parker 1984, 1985). When all feeding records for H. viridis are combined from across its broad geographic range, a moderate list of host species results (~ 35 spp.) (Pfadt 1994). However detailed feeding records of local populations show highly restricted diets, with populations of H. viridis often behaving almost as host specialists (Mulkern et al. 1969, Parker 1984, Trailer & Joern 1999). Moreover, it is not unusual to find nearby populations specializing on different host species (Trailer & Joern 1999). Microhabitat selection in H. viridis is also highly restrictive; individuals spend most of their time on host plants, and move only short distances to neighboring plants of the same species (Parker 1984).