Variegated Grasshopper vs Golden-backed Snipe Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Variegated Grasshopper Golden-backed Snipe Fly
Scientific Name Zonocerus variegatus Chrysopilus thoracicus
Order Orthoptera Diptera
Family Pyrgomorphidae Rhagionidae
Size 30-50mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Africa Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Variegated Grasshopper

A brightly colored grasshopper with striking patterns of yellow, green, black, and orange. It feeds on toxic plants and sequesters the toxins for defense. It forms large aggregations.

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Did You Know?

It deliberately eats toxic plants to make itself poisonous, and its bright colors warn predators of this.

Golden-backed Snipe Fly

A striking fly with golden thoracic hairs and dark wings that rests head-down on foliage. Larvae are predators in soil and leaf litter.

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Did You Know?

It characteristically rests on vegetation with its head pointed downward, ready to pounce on passing prey.