Brachaspis collinus explained

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

Brachaspis collinus is flightless and adults are relative large (females 32 mm), and common amongst scree and tussock.^[4] Although widespread in 2020, about 97% of the habitat of the green rock-hopper grasshopper will be lost due to global warming by 2070.^[5] The species is variable in colour; most individuals are green with yellow markings, but some are olive-grey. In the Kaikoura ranges (Mt Luxford) B. collinus hybridises with B. nivalis,^[6] but elsewhere the two species are well differentiated.

An endemic species of mite (Erythrites jacksoni) is an ectoparasite of this grasshopper.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Book: Bigelow, R. S.. The Grasshoppers of New Zealand: Their taxonomy and distribution.. Pegasus Press. 1967. Christchurch NZ.
2. 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 . 212567788 . 1055-7903.
3. 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.
4. Batcheler. C.L.. 1967. Preliminary observations of alpine grasshoppers in a habitat modified by deer and chamois. Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society.
5. 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 .
6. 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. 21828397 . 1572-9737.
7. 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.