Dictyophorus spumans explained

Dictyophorus spumans, the koppie foam grasshopper, Afrikaans: rooibaadjie, or African foam grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae indigenous to southern Africa. The name "foaming grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its thoracic glands.^[1] The foam is created by a combination of hemolymph with air from the grasshopper's spiracles.^[2] Its genus Dictyophorus is closely related to Phymateus.

Adult males are typically long and females typically,^[3] but can grow up to a length of . The neck shield has a warty surface, and the grasshopper's colors are highly variable but usually with at least parts that are contrasting and bright. 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.^[4]

Subspecies

• 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 – southern Africa
• D. s. subsp. calceata – southern Africa

Notes and References

1. Web site: Whitehouse . Christopher . Foaming Grasshoppers . Phillipskop Mountain Reserve . 6 October 2015 . Phillipskop Discovery Trails (Pty) Ltd. . 18 March 2018.
2. Mariño-Pérez . Ricardo . Song . Hojun . 14 July 2017 . Phylogeny of the grasshopper family Pyrgomorphidae (Caelifera, Orthoptera) based on morphology . Systematic Entomology . en . 43 . 1 . 90–108 . 10.1111/syen.12251 .
3. Whitman . D. . Vincent . S. . 2008 . Large size as an antipredator defense in an insect . Journal of Orthoptera Research . 17 . 2 . 353–371 . 10.1665/1082-6467-17.2.353 . free .
4. Book: Mike Picker, Charles Griffiths & Alan Weaving . 2004 . Field guide to insects of South Africa . Struik . 978-1-77007-061-5 .