Soldier Grasshopper

Soldier Grasshopper

Chromacris speciosa

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Buenos Aires

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

199 Verified sightings at Buenos Aires
63 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Soldier Grasshopper

Chromacris speciosa, also known as the soldier grasshopper, is a grasshopper belonging to the family Romaleidae. It is distributed across Central America and South America. It was first described in 1824 by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg.

This species belongs to the family Romaleidae which belongs to the suborder Caelifera. There are a few synonyms of Chromacris speciosa including Chromacris stolli, Rhomalea stolli, Acridium xanthopterum, and Gryllus speciosa.

Both the lectotype and syntype of this species were collected in Amapá, Brazil. It has general distribution across South America and Central America. They can be found in countries such as Ecuador (Andes), Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, eastern Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina.

It prefers bush environment with vegetation principally consisting of species in the families such as Solanaceae, Myrtaceae, and Gramineae. It is a medium-size species with a generally dark green color and orange-red hind wings. Yellow strips can be seen across its body. Nymphs of this species are black and red.

Chromacris speciosa: Images... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
3 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cochabamba 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~40%
2 Porto Alegre 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
3 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
4 Rosario 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
5 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
6 Niterói 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~10%
8 Manaus 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
9 Fortaleza 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
10 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Soldier Grasshopper in Buenos Aires?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Soldier Grasshopper sighting in Buenos Aires on a given day, based on 199 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 65th most-seen of the 558 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Soldier Grasshopper in Buenos Aires?

January and February

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Soldier Grasshopper in Buenos Aires on a given day, against under 5% in June to October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Soldier Grasshopper?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Soldier Grasshopper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Buenos Aires the best place to see a Soldier Grasshopper?

10th of 14

Of the 14 cities where we can rate Soldier Grasshopper sightings, Buenos Aires ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cochabamba (Bolivia, about 40%), Porto Alegre (Brazil, about 20%) and Curitiba (Brazil, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Soldier Grasshopper live in Buenos Aires?

Same family: Romaleidae

The closest relatives of the Soldier Grasshopper that you can see in Buenos Aires (family Romaleidae, Lubber Grasshoppers) are Coryacris angustipennis (about 10%), Staleochlora viridicata (about 10%) and Zoniopoda tarsata (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Soldier Grasshopper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Soldier Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Buenos Aires (199 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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