Adults appear in late summer and fall. Rich red wings with black border covering nearly 1/3 or 1/2 of the wing. Wings are yellow in some populations. Body colors are very dark, sometimes almost black, sometimes with lighter-colored patches. Sources vary on hind tibiae color from black, to brownish purple. Compared to more common Arphia in Iowa, pronotal crest is nearly non-existent and the profile nearly straight.
Orthoptera of Michigan: https://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/Ag.%20Ext.%202007-Chelsie/PDF/e2815.pdf
Grasshoppers of the Western U.S.: http://idtools.org/id/grasshoppers/factsheet.php?name=13159
Could possibly be encountered throughout Iowa. Knutson (1937) reported it from 6 counties in northwest Iowa, but also from Johnson County in east central Iowa. Insects of Iowa has a record from southeast Iowa. BugGuide and iNaturalist have no records for Iowa. SCAN shows 10 records from Iowa.
Dry sunny uplands with some bare ground.