Rainbow Grasshopper vs Plain Tiger

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Rainbow Grasshopper Plain Tiger
Scientific Name Dactylotum variegatum Danaus chrysippus
Order Orthoptera Lepidoptera
Family Acrididae Nymphalidae
Size 20-30mm Wingspan 70-80mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Heathland
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions North America Africa, Asia, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Rainbow Grasshopper

A small short-winged grasshopper brightly patterned in red, orange, blue, and black. Despite its vivid warning colors, it is not actually toxic. It is slow-moving and easy to observe.

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Did You Know?

Its striking rainbow coloring is a bluff; it has no toxins but mimics the appearance of genuinely poisonous insects.

Plain Tiger

An orange butterfly with black borders and white spots that is extremely widespread across Africa and Asia. It is toxic due to larval food plants.

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Did You Know?

It is mimicked by multiple species of butterflies across its range including females of the Great Eggfly.