Phymateus viridipes
Encyclopedia
Phymateus viridipes Stal
, aka Green Milkweed Locust or African Bush Grasshopper, belonging to the family Pyrgomorphidae
(Gaudy Grasshoppers), is an African locust
about 70 millimetres (2.8 in) long at maturity and capable of long migratory flights. Its body and forewings are green in colour while the hindwings are bright red and blue, presenting a striking appearance in flight. The pronotum, or dorsal area immediately behind the head, is covered in spines or carbuncles which are often tipped with red. The nymphs
or hoppers are bright yellow and black and highly gregarious, forming large groups during this growth stage and are more or less polyphagous.
As with other Phymateus species it raises and rustles its wings when disturbed and may secrete a noxious fluid
from its thoracic joint. This locust feeds on highly toxic plants such as Acokanthera oppositifolia and Secamone alpinii. They congregate in large numbers on trees and shrubs, arranged in such a way as to resemble foliage. (see image)
Females of the allied species Phymateus morbillosus are unable to fly, despite fully developed wings.
The genus Phymateus was created by Thunberg
in 1815 and is found in Southern, Central and East Africa, through Somalia
and Madagascar
to India
.
Carl Stål
Carl Stål was a Swedish entomologist specialising in Hemiptera.He was born at Karlberg Castle, Stockholm on 21 March 1833 and died at Frösundavik near Stockholm on 13 June 1878. He matriculated at Uppsala University in 1853, studying medicine and passing the medico-philosophical examination in 1857...
, aka Green Milkweed Locust or African Bush Grasshopper, belonging to the family Pyrgomorphidae
Pyrgomorphidae
Pyrgomorphidae is a family of grasshoppers in the order Orthoptera commonly known as the gaudy grasshoppers. It is the only family in the superfamily Pyrgomorphoidea, and contains 29 genera and at least 70 species and subspecies.-Families and genera:...
(Gaudy Grasshoppers), is an African locust
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
about 70 millimetres (2.8 in) long at maturity and capable of long migratory flights. Its body and forewings are green in colour while the hindwings are bright red and blue, presenting a striking appearance in flight. The pronotum, or dorsal area immediately behind the head, is covered in spines or carbuncles which are often tipped with red. The nymphs
Nymph (biology)
In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects, which undergoes gradual metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage. Unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult. In addition, while a nymph moults it never enters a...
or hoppers are bright yellow and black and highly gregarious, forming large groups during this growth stage and are more or less polyphagous.
As with other Phymateus species it raises and rustles its wings when disturbed and may secrete a noxious fluid
Autohaemorrhaging
Autohaemorrhaging or reflex bleeding is the action of animals deliberately ejecting haemolymph or blood from themselves. If the animal has toxic compounds in its blood then it may be an effective chemical defence mechanism....
from its thoracic joint. This locust feeds on highly toxic plants such as Acokanthera oppositifolia and Secamone alpinii. They congregate in large numbers on trees and shrubs, arranged in such a way as to resemble foliage. (see image)
Females of the allied species Phymateus morbillosus are unable to fly, despite fully developed wings.
The genus Phymateus was created by Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg aka Carl Pehr Thunberg aka Carl Per Thunberg was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. He has been called "the father of South African botany" and the "Japanese Linnaeus"....
in 1815 and is found in Southern, Central and East Africa, through Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
- Phymateus aegrotus (Gerstäcker, 1869)
- P. baccatus (Stål, 1876)
- P. cinctus (FabriciusJohan Christian FabriciusJohan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others...
, 1793) = P. stolli (Saussure, 1861) = P. flavus (I. Bolivar, 1903) = P. squarrosus (Houttuyn, 1813) - P. leprosus (Fabricius, 1793)
- P. morbillosus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- P. pulcherrimus (I. BolívarIgnacio BolívarIgnacio Bolívar y Urrutia was a Spanish naturalist and entomologist, and one of the founding fathers of Spanish entomology...
, 1904) - P. purpurascens (Karsch, 1896)
- P. saxosus (CoquerelCharles CoquerelCharles Coquerel was a French navy surgeon, algologist, and entomologist.Coquerel collected insects in Madagascar and neighbouring islands. A number of these were described after his death by Léon Fairmaire in his Notes sur les Coléopteres recueillis par Charles Coquerel a Madagascar et sur les...
, 1862) - P. viridipes (Stål, 1873)