Africa Wild

Africa Wild Insect Book: Orthoptera (Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts)


Nymph © mposthumus
Kruger National Park

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Order: Orthoptera



Suborder: Ensifera (elongate, bendy, antennae with many segments)
Family: Anostostomatidae (Wetas, including Parktown prawn)
Unidentified King Cricket viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&start=10#p166803
Unidentified King Cricket viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&start=10#p166811

Family: Gryllacrididae

Family: Gryllidae (True Crickets)
Acanthogryllus fortipes Brown Cricket viewtopic.php?p=530153#p530153
Brachytrupes membranaceus Giant Burrowing Cricket, Tobacco Cricket viewtopic.php?p=492642#p492642
Gryllodes sigillatus Banded Cricket, Tropical House Cricket viewtopic.php?p=193727#p193727
Gryllus bimaculatus African or Mediterranean Field Cricket, Common Garden Cricket viewtopic.php?p=260385#p260385

Family: Gryllotalpidae (Mole Crickets)

Family: Rhaphidophoridae (Cave Crickets)

Family: Schizodactylidae (Dune Crickets)

Family: Stenopelmatidae (King Crickets)

Family: Tettigoniidae (Katydids, Koringkrieks)
Clonia wahlbergi Winged Predatory Katydid viewtopic.php?p=144555#p144555
Conocephalus sp. Meadow Katydid viewtopic.php?p=491261#p491261
Cymatomerella spilophora Bark-mimic Sylvan Katydid viewtopic.php?p=193096#p193096
Eurycorypha sp. Oblong-eyed Leaf Katydid viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&p=176523#p176523
Eurycorypha sp. Leaf Katydid Nymph viewtopic.php?p=497878#p497878
Phaneroptera sparsa Leaf Katydid viewtopic.php?f=247&p=144777#p144777
Phaneroptera sp. (Nymph) viewtopic.php?p=194206#p194206
Terpnistria zebrata Acacia Katydid viewtopic.php?f=247&p=143119#p143119
Zabalius sp. True Leaf Katydid viewtopic.php?p=312266#p312266
Zuludectus modestus viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192#p143413
Subfamily: Hetrodinae (Armoured Crickets)
Acanthoplus discoidalis Armoured Katydid viewtopic.php?p=159937#p159937
Acanthoplus longipes Long-legged Armoured Katydid viewtopic.php?p=217141#p217141
Acanthoproctus cervinus Antlered Thorny Katydid viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&p=142161#p142161

Suborder: Caelifera (short, straight antennae)
Family: Acrididae (Grasshoppers and Locusts)
Subfamily: Acridinae
Acrida sp. Stick Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=193791#p193791
Sphingonotus scabriculus Blue-wing viewtopic.php?p=191248#p191248
Subfamily Catantopinae
Cantatops sp viewtopic.php?p=528510#p528510
Phaeocatantops sp. viewtopic.php?p=487226#p487226
Subfamily: Cyrtacanthacridinae (Bird Locusts)
Acanthacris ruficornis Garden Locust viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&p=142230#p142230
Anacridium moestum Tree Locust viewtopic.php?p=190419#p190419
Anacridium cf. rehni Tree Locust viewtopic.php?p=528470#p528470
Cyrtacanthacris aeruginosa Green Tree Locust viewtopic.php?p=531088#p531088
Bird Locust nymph viewtopic.php?p=487745#p487745
Subfamily Euryphyminae (Agile Grasshoppers)
Amblyphymus sp. Agile Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=496443#p496443
Rhachitopis sp. Agile Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=489588#p489588
Rhodesiana cuneicerca Shorthorned Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=191286#p191286
Subfamily: Oedipodinae
Acrotylus diana Burrowing Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=191603#p191603
Acrotylus patruelis Slender Digging Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=190824#p190824
Acrotylus sp. Digging Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=500699#p500699
Morphacris fasciata Cryptic Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=530164#p530164
Trilophidia conturbata Band-winged Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=530216#p530216

Family: Euschmidtiidae (Bush Hoppers)
Bush Hopper possibly Amatonga or Pseudamatonga sp. viewtopic.php?p=193632#p193632

Family: Pamphagidae (Toad Grasshoppers)
Lamarckiana sparrmani Rain Locust viewtopic.php?p=190026#p190026
Lamarckiana sp. Rain Locust viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&start=10#p160446
Lamarckiana sp. Rain Locust viewtopic.php?p=205474#p205474
Lamarckiana sp. Rain Locust viewtopic.php?p=268235#p268235
Lobosceliana Shieldback Locust viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&start=10#p161654
Porthetine Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=198289#p198289

Family: Pneumoridae (Bladder Grasshoppers)

Family: Pyrgomorphidae (Gaudy Grasshoppers)
Chrotogonus (Chrotogonus) hemipterus viewtopic.php?p=530462#p530462
Dictyophorus spumans Koppie Foam Grasshopper viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&p=142933#p142933
Phymateus leprosus Green Milkweed Locust viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&p=142237#p142237
Phymateus morbillosus Common Milkweed Locust viewtopic.php?p=260849#p260849
Phymateus viridipes viridipes Green Stinkweed Locust viewtopic.php?p=487214#p487214
Zonocerus elegans Elegant Grasshopper viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3192&p=178163#p178163

Family: Tetrigidae (Pygmy Grasshoppers)
Paratettix scaber Pygmy Grasshopper viewtopic.php?p=530443#p530443

Family: Thericleidae
Lophothericles cf modestus Bushhopper viewtopic.php?p=245181#p245181
Lophothericles sp. Bushhopper viewtopic.php?p=498364#p498364
Schulthessiella minuta Bushhopper viewtopic.php?p=215985#p215985

Family: Tridactylidae (Pygmy Mole 'Crickets')

Antler Corncricket, Antlered Thorny Katydid Acanthoproctus cervinus Koringkriek
Family Tettigoniidae. Subfamily Hetrodinae. Tribe Eugastrini

© nan
Kgalagadi

© nan

Description
Large (body length 39 mm), grey with a spiny pronotum.
Although they appear to be wingless, and can't fly, the males have small modified forewings, hidden under their thoracic shield, used for singing.

Distribution
Namibia (main part); South Africa (Western Cape, Northern Cape Province, Free State, Eastern Cape Province)


Habitat
This species is known to occur predominantly in semi-arid and arid habitats including the Kalahari and Namib Deserts, Succulent and Nama Karoo and Fynbos biomes.

© Mel
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Males produce long lasting calling songs to attract females.

Links:
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/20638239/43266517
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1134506

Garden Locust Acanthacris ruficornis
Family: Acrididae

Nymph © BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg



Description
A. ruficornis (Fabricius, 1787) is a widespread species, distributed across the whole continent south of the Sahara. Since UVAROV (1924) two subspecies are distinguished, with A. r. citrina in the savannas of Western Africa and isolated in Morocco, and A. r. ruficornis in a small coastal area of West Africa, but mainly in Eastern and Southern Africa, including Kenya. Both subspecies differ by colour: citrina is light brown, has pale and striped eyes, and the hind tibiae are flushed with pink; ruficornis is dark brown, has uniformly black eyes (as our female), and the hind tibiae are bluish or grayish. I
The best way to distinguish between adult males and females is to look at the shape of the tip of the abdomen. The tip of the male's abdomen is smooth and rounded, whilst the female's is jagged.

http://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/or ... cornis.htm
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1112599

Green Milkweed Locust Phymateus leprosus (Stinksprinkaan)
Suborder: Caelifera. Infraorder: Acrididea. Superfamily: Pyrgomorphoidea. Family: Pyrgomorphidae. Tribe: Phymateini

© Toko
Mating Phymateus leprosus in Mountain Zebra National Park

The genus Phymateus belongs to the family Pyrgomorphidae. These giant and colourful Orthoptera are popularly known as bush locusts or milkweed locusts. They inhabit semi-deserts with Karoo vegetation, tree savannas, as well as gardens and other cultivated areas.
All Phymateus species use a wide range of food plants, including toxic families like Euphorbiaceae, Asclepiadaceae, and Apocynaceae, as well as many crop species and garden plants.

Description
A large grasshopper about 7 cm in body length with two large bumps on pronotum. It has an olive-green body, with mottled wings in an assortment of greens and black.
Raises and rustles wings when threatened and produces an evil-smelling foam from the thoracic joints.
Nymphs are a bright green and black colour.

Habitat
Phymateus leprosus occurs in the wild bush and scrubland of the coastal belt of South Africa.

Biology
The eggs are laid, probably in the ground, from June to August and do not hatch until March-May of the following year. The development of the hoppers extends over 12-13 months, and the adults live for several months, so that the full cycle occupies two years. The hoppers of all ages are gregarious and cluster together on low shrubs; they also undertake migrations in close narrow columns.

© Michele Nel
Nymph, Garden Route National Park, Wilderness, Half-collared Kingfisher Trail

© Puff Addy
Montain Zebra National Park

Links:
https://www.zoologicalbulletin.de/BzB_V ... _et_al.pdf

Koppie Foam Grasshopper Dictyophorus spumans Rooibaadjie
Family: Pyrgomorphidae.


Namaqua National Park

Description
A flightless species. It grows up to a length of 80 millimetres. The neck shield has a warty surface. The name "foaming grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its thoracic glands. Dictyophorus spumans is highly dangerous as its blood contains cardiac glycosides, heart-stopping toxins extracted from the plants such as milkweed, it feeds on. The orange warning colours indicate that this Grasshopper is poisonous. When disturbed, raises its short wing cases, revealing the mainly black and yellow striped abdomen.

Distribution
Indigenous to South Africa.

Habitat
Open rocky low vegetation.

Links: Wikipedia: Schaumheuschrecke

© nan
Namaqua National Park

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

© Flutterby
Drakensberg

© Twigga

Acacia Katydid Terpnistria zebrata
Family Tettigoniidae. Subfamily Phaneropterinae



Description
An easily recognizable katydid, characterized by contrastingly light venation of the tegmina, white accents on the pronotum and abdominal terga, large spines on the ventral margins of hind femora, and a prominent crest on the metazona of pronotum.

Biology
The call is a series of single syllables, audible from a few meters.
It feeds on a number of small-leaved trees of the family Fabaceae.
Females lay eggs singly on the surface of tree bark, relatively low to the ground. Following the deposition of an egg the female covers it with pre-chewed bits of bark.

Distribution
Widespread in southern and East Africa, south of latitude 4°S.

Habitat
Acacia woodland


Link:
http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D8878EF ... D5FBD43163
https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/han ... sAllowed=y

Shield-backed Katydid sp. possibly Zuludectus modestus
Family: Tettigoniidae. Subfamily: Tettigoniinae. Tribe: Arytropteridini.

© BluTuna
Satara, Kruger National Park



Link:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/artic ... 60630.s001
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1141656
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/pag ... 4/mode/1up

Winged Predatory Katydid Clonia wahlbergi
Family: Tettigoniidae. Subfamily: Saginae


Pilanesberg

Leaf Katydid Phaneroptera sparsa
Family: Tettigoniidae. Subfamily: Phaneropterinae

Male © BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg

Phaneroptera Leaf katydids are medium-sized (body length 30 mm), green, with round eyes and green, unstriped abdomen. P. sparsa is the commonest of 12 species. These katydids are arboreal in habitat passing their lives in shrubs and trees feeding on leaves and tender twigs. The Phaneropterinae differ from locusts in their habits of oviposition. Their eggs are rarely deposited in the earth or twigs but are either glued fast in double rows to the outer surface of slender twigs or are inserted in the edges of leaves.
Phaneroptera nana and P. sparsa had long been considered as subspecies of one polytypic superspecies.

Link: Orthoptera Species File


© BluTuna

© BluTuna
This Leaf Katydid posed nicely in a Morning Glory flower and showed a wonderful colour contrast.

© ExFmem
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park