IS IT A PAINTED GRASSHOPPER
October 8, 2009
I saw this insect sitting on the leaf of
Milkweek Plant. This area is a part of
Buffer area of SGNP forest. Since it’s
eyecatching i took two to three Pics.
HARI IYER
THANE, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA.

Ak Grasshopper from India

Hi HARI IYER,
Since you found this grasshopper on milkweed, we wonder if perhaps it might be one of the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyromorphidae.  Sadly, we have decided we need to go to sleep for the night, and our brief internet search did not reveal a species name for your lovely grasshopper.  Perhaps one of our readers will provide an answer for us.

Ak Grasshopper from India

Update:  Thanks to Karl for the comment with the identification.  The link provided the following information:
“Poekilocerus pictus belonging to Family Pyrogomorphinae (known for cryptic as well as bright colours hence called Gaudy Grasshoppers are also known for “Spear” shaped heads) is commonly known as Ak Grasshopper (and one of the many Painted Grasshoppers), and is one of the most colorful grasshoppers of India. The nymphs display spots of varied colours from yellow, orange to blue and green. The adults show yellow and blue striped on head and thorax, a bright red abdomen, green-yellow forewings and red hind wings which are seen only in flight. The adults grow to about 60mm and are capable of good flight.
The adults are generally seen post-monsoon and, if conditions are favorable, they swarm. The food plant for this is Calotropis sp., especially C. procera, however it is known to attack many crops (including C. gigantea – Giant Milkweed). The color in nymphs as well as adults is bright and warning and is explained due to the presence of toxic alkaloids present in Calotropis they feed on.
The eggs are laid in “pods” (each pod contains 70 – 200 eggs) during the monsoon months June to August, and the nymphs hatch around September. The nymphs are usually seen near Calotropis plants, and by October the adults are seen specifically on the food plant. I have no records of finding it in the months after monsoon, however literature says that eggs laid in the month of September to November that hatch in April – May, here the incubation period is longer than during monsoon months due to, perhaps, climatic conditions.
According to literature, the adults are also known to turn cannibalistic even in the presence of ample food – for reasons unknown!”

What is this Grasshopper?!?!?
September 13, 2009
Hi Mr. Bugman!
I am a ninth grade student down in Texas, and I am doing a Biology Pre-Ap project on Arthropods. I caught this grasshopper (actually, my dad did in a dry creekbed. The pictures are of the side, top, and bottom view. I was wondering if you could Identify it. Please and Thanks!!!  Please help!!! Due date coming up soon . Thank you for all of your help. I might need more soon!
Student in Need
San Antonio Area, Texas

Grasshopper

Dear Student in Need,
We do not condone parents doing homework for students which constitutes academic dishonesty.  We feel the same about identifying the four photographs you have sent to us, though we applaud your honesty in admitting that these identifications are needed quickly for a school project.  The purpose of this project is to teach necessary skills that you would not be getting should we identify all of your requests for you.  Since this is a research project, we would recommend that you try to identify your three grasshoppers on BugGuide by browsing through the Grasshoppers in the suborder Caelifera, and that you try to identify the Skipper by browsing through the superfamily Hesperioidea also on BugGuide.  Even if your identifications are incorrect, you will be learning the fundamentals of taxonomic classification and eventually learning the correct answers in school can become part of a learning dialog.

Eric Eaton Comments
September 16, 2009
Daniel:
I very much like how you handled this identification request!  Should you eventually want to post this somewhere else on your site, I can tell you it is a female in the genus Syrbula.  I think both species occur in Texas.  Males are smaller and dark brown with ivory markings.
Eric

Is this a grasshopper? If so what kind?
August 14, 2009
This was found in Selmer, TN. McNairy County. We are located approximately 75 miles east of Memphis, TN near the MS border. I never had a chance to see it actually fly. It just crawled and hopped small distances mostly. It was relatively slow and didn’t seem very frightened by us.
Ken Shreeve
35.181391, -88.708587 Selmer TN

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper

Hi Ken,
This is an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Romalea microptera.  There is a black form and an orange form of this species.  According to BugGuide:  “Common name lubber means “a clumsy or lazy person” (from Middle English lobre meaning lazy, or lout, related to lob). The use for this grasshopper likely refers to their slow movements–with ample chemical defenses, this grasshopper does not need to move quickly.“

GRASSHOPPER A
July 27, 2009
A fairly common native grasshopper form Washington State. This one is over 2 inches long and I thought it was a two striped (Melanoplus bivittatus) but not sure. It does have clear wings.
Ernie
Washington State

Two-Striped Grasshopper

Hi Ernie,
We agree that this is a Two Striped Grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus, based on images posted to BugGuide. Since your are not using the form on our website for your submissions, you are creating additional work for us in posting your letters and photos.

Dusty Gray Hopper in the Woodpile
July 19, 2009
I found this odd looking grasshopper while stacking firewood at the edge of my yard. It was just sitting there on a tarp. Originally I picked it up to look at it more closely because I couldn’t see its eyes. There are plenty of grasshoppers of all sizes in my yard and garden including little leafhoppers eating up the garden. But they all have shiny visible eyes. Not this guy however.
I put it in a jar for a few minutes so I could look more closely but it didn’t help me see any better. It pooped a couple of times in the jar as big as mouse poo.
Then I took it outside and let it out of the jar and took photos thinking I would find it online and could use the picture for verification. But I didn’t find it.
This dusty looking hopper was about two inches long and it didn’t fly away so I don’t think it had wings. The legs had dark stripes most prominent on the inside of the hind legs. The dusty look was a lavender and brownish gray.
Flidhais
Ellensburg, WA USA

Carolina Grasshopper

Dear Flidhais,
We believe this most resembles a Toad Lubber Grasshopper in the genus Phrynotettix, but we are not happy with that identification.  It looks a bit like the Robust Toad Lubber, Phrynotettix robustus, but we are not certain how far north that species ranges since the only examples on BugGuide are from Texas.  We hope one of our readers will be able to provide an accurate identification and additional information since BugGuide only has limited information on the genus, and we really aren’t convinced that is relevant anyways.

Correction from Eric Eaton
Hi, Daniel:
The grasshopper from Ellensburg, Washington is simply a late instar nymph of the familiar and common “Carolina grasshopper,” Dissosteira carolina.  The deep single notch in the “crest” of the pronotum (top part of thorax) identifies it immediately.  Another molt or two and it will be an adult.
I have not made time to research the other longhorns from overseas, sorry.  Should get to it sometime this week….
Eric

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the help. I wonder if this little guy came attached to a chunk of firewood as I
buy it from a tree trimmer in town who goes all over doing tree maintenance.
I have never seen anything like this hopper and I’ve lived here 26 years now.
I looked for more photos of the Carolina one but didn’t find anything like this, however that
may be because of the “moultings” the other poster mentions. I know virtually nothing of
grasshopper life cycles etc…lol I just thought it was a neat bug that sort of looked like
it had on armor, and the dusty looking eyes were so different. It was also larger than the
largest regular grasshoppers here.
Thanks again. Love your site!
Mary Anne O’Sullivan

South-African Grasshopper
June 10, 2009
I saw many of these grasshoppers in this part of South-Africa. I really wonder what type it is and why this species if flourishing?
David
Tsjisjikamma National Park, Plettenburg Bay, South-Africa

Mating Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers

Dear David,
These are mating Gaudy Grasshoppers, or Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers, or Bush Locusts in the family Pyrgomorphidae.  We believe your species is Phymateus leprosus.  One of the reasons this species is flourishing is that it is poisonous, and not many predators will touch it.