Help
Hello,
I have a photo of a type of grass hopper and was wondering is it native to Western Australia and if it is what’s the grass hoppers name?
Nyssa Henderson

Hi Nyssa,
We couldn’t locate your Grasshopper on Geocities, but we thought it resembled the Pyrgomorphidae species we have identified in South Africa. That was a good hunch as this turns out to be a Blistered Grasshopper, Monistria pustulifera, also known as the Inland Painted Grasshopper. The Australian Insect Website 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.” South African Pyrgomorphs are toxic because they feed on milkweed. The same may be true of the Blistered Grasshopper. Thanks for adding a new Australian species to our site. It is rare for us to get Australian submissions during Northern Hemisphere summer, or perhaps the shear volume of American submissions at that time causes us to overlook letters from down under.

Looking at your photos of grasshoppers mating it struck me that our grasshoppers living on our Hibiscus here in Hilton Head Island, SC, mate in a different way. Not to be indelicate but they are rear to rear and during dinner parties on the deck they make for interesting after- dinner conversations. I’m not certain what kind of grasshoppers these are but we actually look forward to their arrival in the summer, and yes, they love to dine on new Hibiscus blooms but they have to eat too! Thanks for a wonderful site. I’ve sent many new viewers your way.
Patti Trobaugh

Hi Patti,
Your mating grasshoppers are Obscure Bird Grasshoppers, Schistocerca obscura. We found a photo on BugGuide of a mating pair in Florida that have assumed the position depicted in your photo. We believe Grasshoppers begin mating “piggy back” and then over time change position.

Texas grasshopper
This grasshopper was photographed on reeds at the edge of a pond in the Coastal prairie of Central Texas, near the town of Refugio. Do you know what it is? Thanks,
Ron

Hi Ron,
We are nearly positive this is a Cattail Toothpick Grasshopper, Leptysma marginicollis, a shown on BugGuide, but it might also be the Glassy Winged Toothpick Grasshopper, Stenacris vitreipennis. Perhaps one of our readers can supply a definitive answer.

Yet another gaudy grasshopper
Hi,
How do you like this one ? I spotted it March 22nd 2008 in the Tala reserve near Durban, South Africa on a thistle flower not far from a large pond. I have no idea what the exact species is, but I’m sure its name should contain ’splendissimus’ Regards,
Patrick Lemli

Hi Patrick,
We have correctly identified your Gaudy Grasshopper as the Elegant Grasshopper, Zonocerus elegans, a Bushlocust, based on the content from a marvelous South African Orthoptera website. Once we had a name, we were able to locate other very nice images online.

Bug Love (Grasshoppers, Moriarity, NM)
Hello,
Attached is an image of a couple of amorous grasshoppers taken early October of 2007 near the town of Moriarity, NM; 40 miles east of Albuquerque. I am assuming the larger one is the female. She is almost as large as the index finger of a working man’s hand. The male had, what appeared to be, a defense behavior of springing its legs backwards if I got too close for its comfort. The broadside image was somewhat difficult to take because the female would rotate about the wire she was hanging on as I tried to position the camera; always positioning her belly toward the camera lens. I particularly like the bright red, yellow and black coloring of the male’s spiny legs; not to mention the vivid greens of their bodies. These bugs were everywhere and I can only guess they provided a substantial protein source to their natural predators for weathering the coming winter. Hope y’all enjoy. Regards,
Dan

Hi Dan,
The grasshoppers in your wonderful photo are Green Bird Grasshoppers, Schistocerca shoshone, also known as the Green Valley Grasshopper. According to BugGuide, they are found in “streamside (riparian) and desert habitats; also frequently found in cornfields or other tall growing vegetation.”

Can you identify this for me?
Hi
Please could you identify this grasshopper for me (JPEG attached). I photographed this in the Kruger, South Africa last November. Thanks
Nigel

Hi Nigel,
This is a Gaudy Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae. According to a site we found online: “Pyrgomorphids are usually very colourful grasshoppers, the bright colours warning predators that they are poisonous (called aposematic colouration).” They are sometimes called Milkweed Grasshoppers. It will take someone more qualified than we to properly identify the exact species.