Subject: Bug
Location: East Usambara Mountains near Amani Research Station NE Tanzania
January 14, 2016 11:28 am
This “bug” I photographed in East Usambara Mountains near Amani Research Station NE Tanzania Nov 22 2015.
I guess this is a nymph.
The image no 1 and no2 is the same. My image no 2 was a “not allowed image”. I found no better way of deleting it than to add the same image again. Sorry.
Signature: Slit
Dear Slit,
This wingless Grasshopper may be immature or it may be a wingless species. Your image is overexposed, which is likely resulting in inaccurate color reproduction, but we believe it is one of the Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae. Many members of this family are very brightly colored with aposomatic or warning colors to warn predators that they are toxic. We don’t believe we will be able to provide you with the species, but we are relatively confident the family is correct.
Thank you for your reply!
It is not bad at all to come as far as milkweed grasshopper, I think. Whether the photo is over-exposed or it is an effekt of I having lightened it a bit in Photoshop I don´t know. Since I don´t know a lot about what is important to look at in these groups and I also have heard that hairs sometimes play an important role for identification, I worked that photo. It was exposed at night using a flash from the camera and an extra torch – useful when trying to locate the creature for photographing. I enclose a photo with very little work on.
Best regards
Stefan