What’s this grasshopper from Thailand?
May 12, 2010
On a hike through one of the many national parks in Thailand, i came across this little fellow. I was captivated by his immaculate colours. I stayed and observed him for quite some time and it didn’t seem to bother him at all! I’d like to know what genus/species (if possible) this grasshopper is. I’m actually considering getting a tattoo of him too! So i’d like to do a bit of background info on him. Thanks!
Heather
Southern province, Thailand.

Ghost Grasshopper

Hi Heather,
We immediately recognized your grasshopper as a member of the family Pyrgomorphidae or Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers.  Most of the photos we have received come from South Africa and Madagascar, and we did locate a website called the Flying Kiwi that pictures a specimen from Cambodia that looks remarkably like your specimen.  You need to scroll down to the bottom of the page.  It is identified as a Ghost Grasshopper in Thailand or the Northern Spotted Grasshopper in Cambodia, but there is no scientific name.  Here is what the website states:  “This is a northern spotted grasshopper, which I photographed at night along the trail to Chambok waterfall.   In Thailand it’s called a ghost grasshopper.
The bright colors are a warning that the grasshopper is chemically protected, so I’m surprised that it wasn’t active during the daytime.   I saw a very similar grasshopper during the daytime in Indonesia, though it lacked the white and red coloration on the head, and its legs were blue rather than black.  The northern spotted grasshopper exudes a toxic foam when it’s attacked, which apparently is a good way of keeping tarantulas and other large spiders at bay.  It’s a type of locust, and at times it can occur in numbers large enough to cause a significant amount of destruction.   It’s also fairly indiscriminate in the crops it will chew through.   Unlike other locusts, they’re no good for people to eat, though their attractive appearance probably does give some consolation to the people who are starving to death.“  There is also a link to another similar looking grasshopper from Bali on the Flying Kiwi website.  The Thai Bugs website identifies the Ghost Grasshopper as Aularches miliaris.  It is also pictured on the Siam Insect Zoo website.  This species appears to be highly variable.  We have read reports of severe toxic reactions occurring if Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers are ingested.

This is great! Thank you so much for this information. I wonder why the Thai call it the “ghost” grasshopper? I do know that the Thai are deathly afraid of ghosts, so perhaps its attributed to its poisonous characteristics? Maybe someone clever gave it the name to make sure people stayed clear of it (not me, obviously!). I figured it was poisonous due to the apparent warning colouration. Thanks again for this information, what a cool bug!
Heather

Ghost Grasshopper

Dinosaur grasshopper?
April 12, 2010
Hi WTB,
On my hiking trip to Eastern Samaria (north-east of Jerusalem, Israel) on April 9-10, 2010 I saw this large grasshopper nymph. It looks like something from a Spielberg movie with that ridge on its back.
Hoping you’ll help me identify it!
Ben
Eastern Samaria, Israel

Unknown Grasshopper

Hi again Ben,
Like your other unknown Grasshopper, we are going to contact Piotr Naskrecki for assistance.

Unknown Grasshopper

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Green Acrida bicolor from Israel
April 12, 2010
Hi WTB,
I sent you a set of brown Acrida bicolor a couple years ago and you posted them:
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2008/12/24/grasshopper-from-israel/
So here’s a green one to complete the series.
Ben
Eastern Samaria, Israel

Acrida bicolor

Hi Ben,
Thanks so much for providing us with another image of this stunning Grasshopper from the deserts of Israel and surrounding countries.

Acrida bicolor

Costa Rican grasshopper
March 28, 2010
This is a (very impressive) grasshopper I found last summer in the Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. It’s about an inch long. I know it’s a grasshopper (probably, I think) but I was wondering if it’s a special grasshopper. If not, it’s special to me, at least.
(Also, I just found your wonderful site and am submitting several inquiries about bugs I’ve been pondering for a while. I acknowledge your limited time to respond to these requests and will not get worked up if you can’t respond to all/most/any of them.)
Jenny
Costa Rica, Pacific Coast

Immature Grasshopper: Tropidacris cristata

Hi Jenny,
Your letter is so sweet and thoughtful.  We agree that this is a pretty special looking Grasshopper, and we do not know what it is.  We hope to be able to identify it soon, but meanwhile, we are posting it as unidentified in the hope that our readership can assist in the identification.  We may also contact Piotr Naskrecki who has identified many Costa Rican Orthopterans for us.

Immature Grasshopper: Tropidacris cristata

We found a match online, but it is not identified.

Piotr Naskrecki identifies this nymph
Hi Daniel,
This is a nymph of Tropidacris cristata (Romaleidae), the largest
grasshopper in Central America. The adults lose the beautiful, striped
pattern, but gain huge, red wings.
Piotr

Ed. Note
We have identified the adult Tropidacris dux several times, and we wonder if the two are the same species or just close relatives. This is the first submission we have gotten of the immature nymph in the genus with its drastically different coloration.  The Forestry Images website indicates that dux is a subspecies of Tropidacris cristata.

Daniel,
Yes, T. cristata dux is a subspecies of T. cristata, but I would be careful
assigning this animal to a subspecies based on a nymph.
Piotr

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