| Dictyophorus spumans | |
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| Adult above, nymph below both D. s. spumansinWalter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, South Africa | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Caelifera |
| Family: | Pyrgomorphidae |
| Genus: | Dictyophorus |
| Species: |
D. spumans
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| Binomial name | |
| Dictyophorus spumans (Thunberg, 1787) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Dictyophorus spumans, the koppie foam grasshopper, rooibaadjie, or African foam grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae indigenous to southern Africa. The name "foaming grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its thoracic glands.[2] The foam is created by a combination of hemolymph with air from the grasshopper's spiracles.[3] Its genus Dictyophorus is closely related to Phymateus.
Adult males are typically 4.5–5 cm (1.8–2.0 in) long and females typically 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in),[4] but can grow up to a length of 8 cm (3.1 in).[5] The neck shield has a warty surface, and the grasshopper's colors are highly variable but usually with at least parts that are contrasting and bright. It is toxic due to the poisons that it sequesters from its diet, which includes a large number of toxic and distasteful plants such as milkweed.[5]
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This article about a member of the insect family Pyrgomorphidae is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
