Poekilocerus pictus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Poekilocerus pictus, the painted grasshopper, aak grasshopper or ak grasshopper, is a fairly large and brightly coloured species of grasshopper found in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially in drier regions. Both adults and nymphs are toxic; the nymphs are notorious for being able to squirt a jet of noxious liquid at up to around 30 cm (1 ft) away when grasped.
P. pictus was long regarded as the only Poekilocerus of the Indian subcontinent (other species are found in Southwest Asia and Africa), but in 2016 a new species, the overall yellowish-brown P. geniplanus, was described from Chhattisgarh.
Adults of P. pictus typically are 4.3–6.1 cm (1.7–2.4 in) long. The nymphs are greenish-yellow with fine black markings and small crimson spots. The mature grasshopper has canary yellow and turquoise or blue stripes on its body, green tegmina with yellow spots, and pale red or orange hind wings.
Both adults and nymphs of P. pictus feed extensively on poisonous Calotropis milkweeds, notably C. gigantea and C. procera, gaining their own toxins from the plants. When given the choice, both adults and nymphs tend to prefer C. procera over C. gigantea... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Grasshopper sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 103 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 46th most-seen of the 376 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to October
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Grasshopper in Chennai on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month. Those are among Chennai's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in February.
2nd of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Painted Grasshopper sightings, Chennai ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Vasai-Virar (India, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Painted Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Chennai (103 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.
