Dictyophorus spumans
| Dictyophorus spumans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Family: | Pyrgomorphidae |
| Genus: | Dictyophorus |
| Species: | D. spumans |
| Binomial name | |
| Dictyophorus spumans (Thunberg, 1787) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Dictyophorus spumans, the koppie foam grasshopper or rooibaadjie, is a species of grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae indigenous to Africa. The name "foaming grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its thoracic glands. It is closely related to Phymateus.
It grows up to a length of 80 millimetres (3.1 in). The neck shield has a warty surface, and their color is highly variable. It is toxic due to the poisons that it sequesters from its diet, which includes a large number of toxic and distasteful plants such as milkweed.[2]
Races
- D. s. subsp. spumans – South Africa
- D. s. subsp. ater – northern South Africa and Zimbabwe
- D. s. subsp. pulchra – eastern South Africa and Mozambique
- D. s. subsp. servillei – widespread in Africa
- D. s. subsp. calceata – widespread in Africa
Gallery
Mating 
Adult seen from above 
Adult in a garden
References
- ↑ Googlebooks
- ↑ Mike Picker, Charles Griffiths & Alan Weaving (2004). Field guide to insects of South Africa. Struik. ISBN 978-1-77007-061-5.
Media related to Dictyophorus spumans at Wikimedia Commons
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