Subject: Want to know the genus and species
Geographic location of the bug: Himachal pradesh, India
Date: 01/19/2018
Time: 08:50 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Please tell me about this grasshopper
How you want your letter signed: Mr.wild
Dear Mr.wild,
This is an immature Painted Grasshopper or Ak Grasshopper, Poekilocerus pictus, one of the toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae. Jungle Dragon has some nice images of nymphs. We also have images of brightly colored, winged adult Painted Grasshoppers on our site. According to Your Shot National Geographic: “Ak Grasshopper, 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 food is Giant Milkweed Plant.The eggs are laid in ‘pods’ (each pod contains 70 – 200 eggs) during the monsoon months.”