Sigaus collinus explained

The Green Rock-hopper grasshopper, Sigaus collinus is an alpine species of short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae.[1] It is found in New Zealand in the mountains of northern South Island, above the tree line and as high as 2000 m asl.[2] [3] In New Zealand alpine grasshoppers can freeze solid at any time of the year and are alive when they thaw out when temperatures rise.[4]

Sigaus collinus is flightless and adults are relative large (females 32 mm), and common amongst scree and tussock.[5] Although widespread in 2020, about 97% of the habitat of the green rock-hopper grasshopper will be lost due to global warming by 2070.[6] The species is variable in colour; most individuals are green with yellow markings, but some are olive-grey. In the Kaikōura Ranges (Mt Luxford) S. collinus hybridises with S. nivalis,[7] but elsewhere the two species are well differentiated.

An endemic species of mite (Erythrites jacksoni) is an ectoparasite of this grasshopper.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Trewick . Steven A. . Koot . Emily M. . Morgan-Richards . Mary . 2023 . Māwhitiwhiti Aotearoa: Phylogeny and synonymy of the silent alpine grasshopper radiation of New Zealand (Orthoptera: Acrididae) . Zootaxa . 5383 . 2 . 225–241 . 10.11646/zootaxa.5383.2.7 . 38221250 . 1175-5334.
  2. Book: Bigelow, R. S.. The Grasshoppers of New Zealand: Their taxonomy and distribution.. Pegasus Press. 1967. Christchurch NZ.
  3. Koot. Emily M.. Morgan-Richards. Mary. Trewick. Steven A.. 2020. An alpine grasshopper radiation older than the mountains, on Kā Tiritiri o te Moana (Southern Alps) of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. en. 147. 106783. 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106783. 32135305 . 2020MolPE.14706783K . 212567788 . 1055-7903.
  4. Hawes . Timothy C. . 2015 . Canalization of freeze tolerance in an alpine grasshopper . Cryobiology . en . 71 . 2 . 356–359 . 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2015.07.008 . 26210007 . 0011-2240.
  5. Batcheler. C.L.. 1967. Preliminary observations of alpine grasshoppers in a habitat modified by deer and chamois. Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society.
  6. Koot . Emily M. . Morgan-Richards . Mary . Trewick . Steven A. . 2022 . Climate change and alpine-adapted insects: modelling environmental envelopes of a grasshopper radiation . Royal Society Open Science . 9 . 3 . 211596 . 10.1098/rsos.211596 . 35316945. 8889178 . free . 2022RSOS....911596K .
  7. Trewick. Steven A.. 2001-09-01. Identity of an endangered grasshopper (Acrididae: Brachaspis): Taxonomy, molecules and conservation. Conservation Genetics. en. 2. 3. 233–243. 10.1023/A:1012263717279. 2001ConG....2..233T . 21828397 . 1572-9737.
  8. Southcott. Ronald V.. 1988. Two new larval Erythraeinae (Acarina: Erythraeidae) from New Zealand, and the larval Erythraeinae revised. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 15. 2. 223–233. 10.1080/03014223.1988.10422617. 0301-4223. free.

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