Broad-backed Grouse Locust vs Foam Grasshopper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Broad-backed Grouse Locust Foam Grasshopper
Scientific Name Nomotettix cristatus Dictyophorus spumans
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Tetrigidae Pyrgomorphidae
Size 8-12 mm 50-80 mm
Habitat Forests Heathland
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Eastern North America Southern Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Broad-backed Grouse Locust

A pygmy grasshopper with a high crested pronotum that gives it a broad-backed appearance. It inhabits dry forest floors in eastern North America.

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Did You Know?

Its tall pronotal crest makes it look remarkably like a tiny piece of bark or wood chip on the forest floor.

Foam Grasshopper

A large black and red grasshopper that produces a foul-smelling toxic foam when disturbed. It is one of Africa's most recognizable grasshoppers.

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Did You Know?

The toxic foam it produces from its thoracic glands contains cardiac glycosides concentrated from the milkweeds it eats.