Unidentified Grasshopper from the Arabian Desert
Location: Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
July 31, 2011 3:20 am
Hi WTB team:
I found this large ?grasshopper in a remote desert area of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE last Friday. Could this be ?Acrida bicolor?. I would appreciate your help in id’ing this well-camouflaged creature (it was almost invincible on the dune sand). Many thanks, Ajmal
Signature: Ajmal
Hello Ajmal,
In our opinion, despite some differences which we will note, we believe you have found an immature Acrica bicolor, which according to the TrekNature website, is also called a Long Headed Grasshopper. The first difference we would like to note is the lack of fully developed wings, which probably indicates this is an immature specimen, especially if the size is compared to the photo of the green individual published on this Live Journal website. Our second observed difference is the shape of the antennae, but since they are jointed, it stands to reason that they are mobile and can change their orientation. We don’t feel either of those differences disqualifies your Grasshopper from being identified as Acrida bicolor. Allow us to make one minor correction to the information you provided. Though we are quite certain that surviving in the desert would qualify a creature as being invincible, we believe that in context with your statement about the Grasshopper being “well-camouflaged” the adjective you meant to use is most likely invisible.
Dear Daniel,
Thanks much for your feedback, much appreciated.
Regards,
Ajmal Hasan