Javanese Grasshopper
Valanga nigricornis
To deter hungry birds, these grasshoppers can release a foul-tasting, bitter foam from their thoracic glands when squeezed.
- Scientific name
- Valanga nigricornis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Orthoptera › Acrididae › Valanga
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Tropical rainforests, forest edges, shrublands, agricultural plantations, and urban gardens.
- Diet
- Herbivorous, feeding on a wide variety of plants including hibiscus, banana leaves, citrus, and palms.
- Range
- Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines
- Size
- Females reach up to 8 cm in length; males are smaller, around 5.5 cm.
- Lifespan
- 6 to 9 months
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Widespread use of chemical pesticides in agricultural zones and localized habitat loss.
- Safe to approach?
- This species is entirely harmless to humans. You can safely observe them from any distance. If handled, they may pinch slightly with their mandibles or scratch with their spiny hind legs as a defensive reflex, and may regurgitate a harmless, bitter brown fluid. If skin contact occurs, simply wash with soap and water.
Valanga nigricornis , the Javanese grasshopper , is a species of grasshopper in the subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae of the family Acrididae. It is found in southeastern Asia, the type location being Singapore. It was first described by the German zoologist Hermann Burmeister in 1838. There are about eighteen subspecies, most of which are endemic to different island groups.
Photo: no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist
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