Strange looking bug!
Location: Karnataka, India
December 14, 2011 4:53 am
Dear Bugman,
I am from India, and came across this interesting specimen while out on a hike. Would very much appreciate your help in identifying the species.
Thanks!
Rohan
Signature: Rohan

Bombay Locust from India

Dear Rohan,
This positively gorgeous grasshopper has aposomatic coloration or warning coloration, a characteristic that is often found in the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae.  Many species found in South Africa cause severe toxic reaction if they are eaten.  We believe we have correctly identified it as Aularches miliaris on the Siam Insect Zoo and Museum website.  The God of Insects website indicates the common name is the Northern Spotted Grasshopper.

Thanks, dear Bugman! Has anyone told you that you’re super?

Hi again Rohan,
Super is a new adjective for us.  Thanks for the compliment.

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Elegant????
Location: Swaziland, Africa
January 21, 2012 1:35 pm
Hi,
I found this (but many other too…) grasshopper in Swaziland, while visiting the Hlane Park.
It looks like an Elegant Grasshopper, but the colours are slightly different.
Could you help me in identify it?
Thanks and all the best,
Luigi
Signature: Luigi

Unknown Grasshopper is immature Elegant Grasshopper

Dear Luigi,
We do not believe this is an Elegant Grasshopper, but none of our initial research has turned up an identification.  We are posting your photo as unidentified in the hopes we will be able to provide something more specific at a later date.

Thanks Daniel,
maybe it’s a juvenile… it didn’t seem to be rare: some days before I found a whole branch of a tree full with them (I have pics, if you’re interested)
Anyways, let’s keep searching!
All the best,
Luigi

Hi Again Luigi,
We are inclined to think it is different species.  Send more photos if you have time.

Elegant Grasshopper Nymphs

Hi Luigi,
Interestingly, when we web searched the common name Elegant Grasshopper and Africa instead of the scientific name Zonocerus elegans, we quickly found this online pdf of Pests of Field Crops in Southern Africathat pictures the immature Elegant Grasshopper, and it is a perfect match to your photos.  It seems your original hunch was correct after all.  It seems it will feed on a large variety of cultivated crops including cotton, soy beans and fruit trees.  Thanks for sending your additional photos.

Elegant Grasshopper Nymphs

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Rwandan Grasshopper?
Location: Lake Kivi, Rwanda
July 19, 2012
this is surely the most handsome of insects.
found in rubengera, close to lake kivu, in a field.
would love to know what it is called.
thanks!
clare.

Elegant Grasshopper

HI Clare,
We found an image of this beautiful Elegant Grasshopper, Zonocerus elegans, also known as the Rainbow Locust, in our own archive.  Last year, Karl wrote to us:  “They are apparently slow and clumsy, relying primarily on their accumulated toxins for protection from predators. The toxins make them taste bad, although apparently not bad enough to make them inedible for humans. I found numerous references suggesting they are eaten in various parts of Africa.”  Say hello to Jessica and the mountain gorillas and we miss you and Mark back in Mt Washington, Los Angeles.

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Subject: grasshopper?
Location: Tansen, Palpa district, Nepal
September 14, 2012 9:21 pm
I am new to this site and would like help with the little guy that I met this week (Sept 13 2012) sitting on the railing in our hospital.
Signature: Theo

Coffee Locust

Dear Theo,
This is sure an attractive Grasshopper, one of the members of the family Pyrgomorphidae, commonly called the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers because many members of the family feed on milkweed, storing the toxic compounds from the plants in their own bodies as a defense mechanism.  We believe we have correctly identified your individual as a member of the genus Aularches, perhaps Ausarches miliaris which we identified on the Siam Insect Zoo site, though it is the subspecies A. m. scabiosus.  Though your individual looks very similar, including the yellow banded face, there are differences, though we cannot say for certain if these are individual differences, local variations, subspecies differences or if they are in fact different species in the same genus.  The Western Ghats website calls Ausarches miliaris the Coffee Locust.

Coffee Locust

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Subject: Please identify this grasshopper.
Location: Simonstown, Cape Town
December 23, 2012 4:41 am
I came across this bug (what I think is a grasshopper of some sorts), Along Simonstown coastline. It was just sitting in the shade on one of the boulders. I took the photo with my cell phone and it made no attempt to flee even though I came pretty close to it. Is it a juvenile of some locust species?
Signature: Roland

Koppie Foam Grasshopper

Dear Roland,
This is a Koppie Foam Grasshopper, Dictyophorus spumans, and it has aposomatic or warning coloration to indicate it is poisonous or foul tasting because it feeds on milkweed.  Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae are called Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers or Gaudy Grasshoppers.

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Subject: Grasshopper
Location: Nepal – Himalaya
December 24, 2012 2:42 pm
Hi. Here’s another photo from my friend Skip Moss, from his recent journey to Nepal. My search for more info on this guy is painfully slow – computer/browser issues today. Thanks so much for any insights…as always!
Signature: Tracy

Coffee Locust

Hi Tracy,
This is the Coffee Locust or Spotted Grasshopper, Ausarches miliaris.   According to Western Ghats, it “Damages Coconut, arecanut, jack, plantain, tea, cocoa, rubber and many poisonous plants. When disturbed produces a white foul smelling deterrent…” The species was originally described by Linnaeus in 1758 according to the Orthoptera Species File website.

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Subject: Which Grasshopper?
Location: Nelspruit [Ed. Note:  South Africa]
January 16, 2013 1:39 am
Hi, can you tell me which Grasshopper this is. My thoughts were something in the line of a Milkweed Grasshopper, but I dont know if you get different Milkweed Grasshoppers?
It was about 2cm in size.
Thanks
Signature: Robert Wienand

Milkweed Grasshopper

Hi Robert,
We agree that this appears to be a Milkweed Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae.  It looks like an immature specimen of this unidentified species we found on iSpot.  Here is another individual, also on iSpot.  We are having trouble matching your individuals markings and striped antennae with a definite species identification. 

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Subject: What is this?
Location: Pietermaritzburg [South Africa]
January 28, 2013 7:46 am
I found this eating a plant in my garden at the weekend. Can you help me identify it? I think it’s a locust or grasshopper.
Thanks
Signature: Sally

Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Hi Sally,
This is a Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae, a group sometimes called the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers because many family members feed on milkweed and they are able to retain toxic compounds in their bodies that act as a deterrent to predators.  Many Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers also have aposomatic or warning coloration.  The striped antennae and cobalt blue markings near the base of the legs are distinctive and we will attempt to find a species name for you.  We have not seen any examples with this much black in the coloration and we are not certain if this is a subspecies, an example of individual variation or a new species for our site.

Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Hi,
Thanks for your swift response. It will be interesting to see if you come up with a species!  I hope it was of interest to you.
Regards
Sally Wood

They are lovely photos of a beautiful Grasshopper and we are happy to include them in our archive.

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Subject: grasshopper
Location: mountains of Swaziland, southern African
February 17, 2013 6:50 am
I have identified this as a foam grasshopper, genus Pyrgomorphidae, but not been able to narrow it down further.
Can you help?
Signature: Barbara R.

Koppie Foam Grasshopper

Hi Barbara,
Pyrgomorphidae is a family, not a genus.  This is either a Koppie Foam Grasshopper, Dictyophorus spumans, or a very closely related species.  Koppie Foam Grasshoppers are in the family Pyrgomorphidae that contains the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers, a group so named as they feed on milkweed and they are able to retain the toxins in their own bodies as defense mechanisms against predators.  The PHotographs from South Africa website has some images that are a visual match to your individual, but they are only identified to the family level.  The same family identification applies to this image on FlickR.

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Subject: Grasshopper
Location: Kruger Park, South Africa
February 28, 2013 7:07 am
can you help me identify this bug
Signature: Allison

Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Dear Allison,
This is a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae.  It looks similar to, but different from, the Koppie Foam Grasshopper.

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Subject: Grasshoppers
Location: Emerald, Queensland, Australia, Southern Hemisphere
May 15, 2013 4:44 am
Hello bugman!
This week we have found these grasshoppers in our garden and we haven’t been able to find any images on line to identify what they are. Can you please let us know what we have found??
Thank you
Signature: Sharon Wilkins

Blistered Grasshopper

Dear Sharon,
We quickly identified your Blistered Grasshopper, Monistria pustulifera, thanks to the Australian Insects website.  It is also called the Arid Inland Painted Grasshopper, and Australian Insects states:  “The blistered grasshopper (or pyrgomorph) belongs to the family Pyrgomorphidae. This family has some of the smallest and some of the largest grasshoppers in Australia. The pustulifera species can grow up to 65mm in length.  This short horned grasshopper has a mottled body, with orange-yellow spots all over.”  The Blistered Grasshopper is also pictured on Gaia Guide.

Blistered Grasshopper

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Subject: Yet another coloured grasshopper
Location: Cameroon, near Bamenda
December 16, 2013 6:12 am
.. found in Cameroon, near Bamenda.
In the third pic you can see it watching the camera, I think.
Signature: Robert

Variegated Grasshopper

Hi again Robert,
We actually identified this Elegant Grasshopper while researching the previous posting.  We first found a postage stamp from 1970 Malawi with the Elegant Grasshopper, Zonocerus elegans, beautifully rendered.  That led us to numerous other images, including BioLib and Biodiversity Explorer.  The coloring and markings on your individual are slightly different, and we suspect this is individual variation, though it might indicate a different species in the same genus.  Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae should be handled with caution as they can exude a toxic substance if carelessly handled.

Variegated Grasshopper

Update:  February 22, 2014
We just received a correction that this is a different species in the same genus.  It is the Variegated Grasshopper, Zonocerus variegatus, and there is a nice image on PBase.

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Subject: Toxic grasshopper ID
Location: Madagascar, Andringitra National Park
January 26, 2014 4:53 am
Hi,
I’m trying to ID the attached grasshopper – seen in Andringitra National Park, Madagascar, and known locally simply as a “toxic cricket”.
It looks like a Phymateus milkweed grasshopper, as far as I can work out from Google, but I’ve not seen photos with quite the same black/orange colouring (no yellow or red), and short, stubby wingcases.
Length is probably about 6-7 cm, so quite a big insect.
Signature: Simon

Immature Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Hi Simon,
This is definitely a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae.  We located a matching photo taken on Madagascar on Dorit Bar Zakay’s blog that is identified as a young Phymateus saxosus.  The color and markings change will change as it develops into an adult, and the wings will also increase in size and become functional.  We have a photo of an adult Phymateus saxosus from Madagascar on our site and there is no shortage of photos of adults online.  Previous research indicates that it is also called a Rainbow Bush Locust.  We also learned that locals refer to this as a Ghost Grasshopper.

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Subject: Grasshopper
Location: North West [South Africa]
February 1, 2014 12:45 am
Hi there,
This bug was photographed at Dube Private Game Farm in the North West, if you can tell us what this species is called it would settle a nice little argument.
Signature: Johan

Immature Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Dear Johan,
This is a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper or Bush Locust in the family Pyrgomorphidae.  It is an immature specimen, so it might be difficult to identify to the species level.  It greatly resembles the immature Green Milkweed Locust, Phymateus viridipes, image on the Field Guide to Insects of South Africa.  The nymphs are described as being “spotted black and yellow.”  It also resembles an immature Phymateus saxosus from Madagascar that is in our archive.  We believe the genus Phymateus is most likely correct, but the species is not something about which we are certain.

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Subject: Australian Cricket
Location: australia
February 1, 2014 5:30 pm
Hello,
I came across this cricket in WA, Australia in the bush a few years back.
Would like to know what is its name?
Signature: damien

Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Hi Damien,
This is a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae, but we are uncertain of the species.  At first we thought it might be a Blistered Grasshopper, Monistria pustulifera, which we have identified before, but the markings are different, especially the yellow band through the face on the Blistered Grasshopper.  We speculated it was a different species in the same genus, which led us to a photo of a Mountain Spotted Grasshopper, Monistria concinna, on FlickR, and it looked very close, but when we checked the range on Csiro, it was wrong.  We also found photos on Dave’s Garden, and they look different than your individual.  So, we believe your Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper is in the genus Monistria, but we are not certain of the species.  Csiro indicates several species found in Western Australia, but alas Csiro does not have photos of them.  You might try writing to Csiro to see if they can identify the species, and if they do, please get back to us so that we can name this beautiful Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper more specifically.

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Subject: Dictyophorus spumans
Location: Krugersdorp, South Africa
March 20, 2014 1:59 am
The Locust I found Yesterday.
On research I discovered it may be the above.
Is the foam toxic to humans?
Signature: Sharon Parkinson

Koppie Foam Grasshopper

Hi Sharon,
Your identification is correct and the common name for your individual is the Koppie Foam Grasshopper, one of the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers.  According to NeatNature:  “The Koppie Foam Grasshopper is indeed toxic, consuming poisonous plants and storing the toxins inside their bodies.  The are also known for bathing themselves in a noxious foam when threatened. Through glands along their thorax, it is able to squeeze out a putrid foam which then covers them. The smell and the taste is enough to ward off any predator curious enough to get too close.”  According to Project Noah:  “Many members of this family (Pyrogomorphidae) can produce a defensive foamy secretion from there thoracic region which contain strong and poisonous chemicals, nasty deterrent and hence the vivid warning coloration.  The Pyrgomorphs are also referred to as ‘Gaudy Grasshoppers’. The warning coloration reflects their poisonous nature. The nymphs consume poisonous plants such as Milkweeds and retain the chemicals which include cardiac glycosids (heart poisons). There are records of dogs dying after eating these grasshoppers. One would have imagined that such a distinctive looking locust/grasshopper would be easily identified but unfortunately this has not proved to be the case. I initially located 2 other photos of this species on the web but neither author had committed to a species ID beyond genus. Progress: we (the PN community) now believe that this is a subadult of the species Dictyophorus spumans, with adult coloration and that the earlier nymph stages are much more black with red trimmings.”  It is our understanding that the toxins will also affect humans.

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Subject: Stunning and Curious Grasshopper
Location: Marloth Park, South Africa
April 18, 2014 3:49 am
Hello bugpeople!
I’m a travel blogger (at www.travelsandtripulations.com) currently in South Africa. I’ve given a shout-out to my readers about your site, because it’s so fabulous. And now I need your help. What in the world kind of grasshopper is this? He is gorgeous. He was studying me as intently as I was studying him.
And would it, by any chance, leave a hard yellow, white and black striped “shell” when it dies? I recently found one on the ground that looks similar to his body. But we’ve also seen a lot of furry yellow black and white striped caterpillars that I’ve been unable to identify (last pic)
I appreciate your help! Thank you!
Cheers,
Signature: Kenda

Elegant Grasshopper

Hi Kenda,
Your beautiful grasshopper is appropriately named an Elegant Grasshopper or Rainbow Locust, Zonocerus elegans , and it is one of the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae.  We do not believe that the exuvia or shed skin of a Grasshopper would be very hard or durable.  Providing a photo would make it easier for us to respond to that question.

Elegant Grasshopper

Wow. I’m so pleasantly surprised about how quickly you responded!  Thank you, kindly. My next blog post (going out on or about Monday) will include a nice big shout-out for your work. Thank you!  Tomorrow I’ll go outside and see if I can find that “skin” and take a photo. It looks like it has little feet attached to it.Almost like what a millipede would have but it’s striped – yellow, black, white. It’s quite beautiful and fascinating. There’s a lot of awesome bug activity here. I’ve been having a blast seeing all these critters – even the Orb Spiders that kind of creep me out and fascinate me all at the same time.
Anyway, thank you, Mr. Marlos!
Cheers,
Kenda

Hello Mr. Bugman!
I just published a blog post touting your site and applauding your fabulous bug skills. Here ya go:  http://www.travelsandtripulations.com/2014/04/21/the-wildlife-of-marloth-park-south-africa/
Cheers,
Kenda

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Subject: Beautiful Grasshopper in Kenya
Location: Kijabe, Kenya
May 6, 2014 5:36 am
Can you identify this grasshopper? It was found in May in the mountains of Kenya (7,000 feet).
Signature: Matt

Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Dear Matt,
This is a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae, but we are having difficulty finding a species identification.  We have located a matching image on FlickR that is called a Clown Grasshopper, but we don’t believe that name has any importance.  That individual was found on Mount Kenya, so we suspect this might be a high altitude species. Perhaps one of our readers will have better luck today with a species identification.

Could it be the nymph of the phymateus viripedes as seen at
http://thesmallermajority.com/2012/09/18/dangerous-candy/
It looks very similar.
Thanks for what you’re doing. It makes this fun!
Matt

Hi Matt,
While we would not entirely rule out that possibility, we believe the markings on the abdomen of the individuals in the two images are quite different.  Your Grasshopper has a dusting of small yellow spots over the entire body, while the example on The Smaller Majority has very different markings.

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Subject: south-african grasshopper
Location: South-Africa
August 2, 2014 3:23 am
Hello bugman,
This grasshopper I photographed in the second half of January 2005 in South-Africa. I already saw many pictures of Milkweed Grasshoppers and Toxic Foam Grasshoppers, but what really is different I think, is that the one I photographed was at least 15 cm long and what I mostly see in pictures are far smaller ones. Anyway, let me know what you think.
Kind regards, Hanny Keulers
Signature: Hanny Keulers

Bushlocust:  Phymateaus morbillosus

Dear Hanny,
This is one of the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae, and we believe it is a Koppie Foam Grasshopper, Dictyophorus spumans.  As you can see from the images on ISpot, this is a highly variable species and indications are that there are numerous subspecies.  The Grasshoppers feed on Milkweed, and they are able to store the toxins, which makes them at the very least unpalatable, and at worst, toxic if ingested.  Even though the coloring is highly variable, the coloration is generally aposomatic or warning coloration, which helps predators to remember an unfavorable taste or reaction if another individual is encountered at a later time.  

Correction
Dear Daniel,
Having continued my own search, I have meanwhile been able to identify my locust with 100% certainty as a Phymateaus Morbillosus, very colourful and beautiful. What I still am wondering about is the size. Can an adult locust reach a total length of 15 cm.? Thanks for your help anyway, I also add a picture for your website.
Kind regards, Hanny Keulers

Hi again Hanny,
Thanks for getting back to us on this identification.  We are going to try to find credible links to Phymateaus morbillosus.  The first one we located is on the Catalogue of South African Insects, but there is no further description there other than identifying it as a species of Bushlocust, another name for Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae, which was our initial point of departure.  ISpot verifies that and provides the common name Common Milkweed Locust.  We even located this individual from our own archives.  Additionally, we located a mating pair of Common Milkweed Locusts on our site that were only identified to the family level.  Thank you for your valuable contribution to our site.  The size you indicate, nearly six inches long, is not something we are able to verify at this time.  There are Grasshoppers that attain that size, most notably Tropidacris dux from Central and South America which is picture on God Of Insects.

Hello Daniel,
You get the most hits under its Latin name Phymateus Morbillosus.
In general one should always go for the (scientific) Latin names of plants and animals,
because with the names in other languages < anything goes > and most
descriptions are foklore..
Regards, Hanny Keulers

Thank you Daniel for your remark about the correct scientific way of writing.
What surprises me most is that they call this magnificent insect the
COMMON Milkweed Locust, there is nothing ‘common’ about it.
Thanks again for all your information. The strange thing was that I bought a book
in South Africa about all the animal wildlife, but the locusts were not mentioned in it.
Regards, Hanny Keulers

Hanny,
In the interest of scientific correctness, the second name in the binomial, the species name, is not capitalized, hence Phymateaus morbillosus.

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Subject: Nymph Phymateus viridipes?
Location: Kitgum, Uganda
August 31, 2014 8:52 pm
Hello! My mom recently traveled to Uganda (August 2014) and took some photographs of some really neat large grasshoppers. They was photographed in Kitgum, Uganda. I think they may be nymph Phymateus viridipes? Do you agree?
Signature: Hannah

Green Milkweed Locust

Hi Hannah,
We agree with your identification of Phymateus viridipes, the Green Milkweed Locust, one of the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae.  You can compare your image to the ones on iSpot.

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