Dictyophorus spumans, the koppie foam grasshopper, is a species of
grasshopper in the family
Pyrgomorphidae, indigenous to southern Africa. The name "foam grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its
thoracic glands, using a combination of
hemolymph with air from the grasshopper's
spiracles. Adult males are typically 4.5 to 5 centimetres (1.8 to 2.0 inches) long, and females typically 5 to 7 centimetres (2.0 to 2.8 inches), but individual grasshoppers can grow up to a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 inches). This grasshopper of the subspecies D. s. spumans was photographed in the
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in
Roodepoort, South Africa.
Dictyophorus spumans, the koppie foam grasshopper, is a species of
grasshopper in the family
Pyrgomorphidae, indigenous to southern Africa. The name "foam grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its
thoracic glands, using a combination of
hemolymph with air from the grasshopper's
spiracles. Adult males are typically 4.5 to 5 centimetres (1.8 to 2.0 inches) long, and females typically 5 to 7 centimetres (2.0 to 2.8 inches), but individual grasshoppers can grow up to a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 inches). This grasshopper of the subspecies D. s. spumans was photographed in the
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in
Roodepoort, South Africa.