Zonocerus elegans

Elegant grasshopper
adult and nymph
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Caelifera
Family: Pyrgomorphidae
Subfamily: Pyrgomorphinae
Tribe: Phymateini
Genus: Zonocerus
Species:
Z. elegans
Binomial name
Zonocerus elegans
(Thunberg, 1815)

Zonocerus elegans is a common species of gaudy grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae.[1][2] It is native to Madagascar and sub-Saharan African savannah, though mainly south of the equator. It has sluggish habits and in many, underdeveloped wings. Adults measure some 3 to 5 cm long,[3] with males being smaller. Its life cycle is synchronized with rainfall.

Description

The head is mainly black and the eyes orange, with the antennae placed between the latter. The antennae are banded orange and black, to which the generic name alludes. The shield (pronotum) is olive in colour, and the abdomen is banded in stark colours. Some do have long front (tegmina) and hind wings and can fly. Even these macropterous forms are poor flyers though.[4] The pied nymphs are gregarious.[3]

Habits

Mainly a savannah species which avoids dense forest and desert. It is a pest of various crops, especially those under irrigation. Affected crops include onions, amaranth, cashew nuts, pineapples, citrus, coffee, taro, cucurbits, carrots, yam, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, cassava, banana, tobacco and avocado.[5] Native plants of the Asclepias, Senecio and Solanum genera are also favoured,[3] besides the invasive siam weed. Shrubs may be completely defoliated, and cassava may be debarked.[5] They can exude an offensive, frothy fluid from a dorsal gland, and this is advertised by their aposematic colours. It is particularly attracted to pyrrolizidine alkaloids.[6]

Subspecies

These subspecies belong to the species Zonocerus elegans:

  • Zonocerus elegans angolensis Kevan, 1972 — southwestern Angola
  • Zonocerus elegans elegans (Thunberg, 1815)

References

  1. ^ "Zonocerus elegans". GBIF. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  2. ^ Otte, Daniel; Cigliano, Maria Marta; Braun, Holger; Eades, David C. (2020). "species Zonocerus elegans (Thunberg, 1815)". Orthoptera species file online, Version 5.0. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  3. ^ a b c Picker, Mike; et al. (2004). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-77007-061-5.
  4. ^ Lecoq, M., Hemp, C. 2019. Elegant Grasshopper. [in] Encyclopedia of Pest Orthoptera of the World, 250-253. Lecoq, M. and Zhang, L. Sc. Ed., China Agricultural University Press, Beijing. ISBN 978-7-5655-2232-1, 311 pages
  5. ^ a b "Zonocerus elegans (elegant grasshopper)". PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank. Cabi Digital Library. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  6. ^ Chiffaud, J., Mestre, J. 1990. « Le criquet puant Zonocerus variegatys (Linné, 1758) ». Essai de synthèse bibliographique. CIRAD, 138 pages, (read online)


allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zonocerus_elegans