LIVESTOCK DUNG AS A FOOD RESOURCE AND THERMAL REFUGE FOR RANGELAND GRASSHOPPERS (ORTHOPTERA, ACRIDIDAE)

Fourteen species of grasshoppers from three subfamilies of Acrididae w ere observed feeding on dry cattle and horse dung at two rangeland sit es in southwestern Montana. While feeding within dung cavities during the middle of the day, they attained equilibrium body temperatures wel l below the critical thermal maxima typically observed for grasshopper s. The implications of these observations for studies of grasshoppers diet and nutrient cycling on rangeland are discussed.