Arthropods • Earth.com

Dictyophorus spumans

(Dictyophorus spumans)

Description

Dictyophorus spumans, the koppie foam grasshopper or rooibaadjie, is a species of grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae indigenous to Africa. The name "foaming grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its thoracic glands. It is closely related to Phymateus. It grows up to a length of 80 millimetres (3.1 in). The neck shield has a warty surface, and their color is highly variable. 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.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Insecta
Order:Orthoptera
Family:Pyrgomorphidae
Genus:Dictyophorus
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