Zonocerus elegans
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Zonocerus elegans is a common species of gaudy grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae. It is native to Madagascar and sub-Saharan African savannah, though mainly south of the equator. It has sluggish habits and in many, underdeveloped wings. Adults measure some 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2.0 in) long, with males being smaller. Its life cycle is synchronized with rainfall.
The head is mainly black and the eyes orange, with the antennae placed between the latter. The antennae are banded orange and black, to which the generic name alludes. The shield (pronotum) is olive in colour, and the abdomen is banded in stark colours. Some do have long front (tegmina) and hind wings and can fly. Even these macropterous forms are poor flyers though. The pied nymphs are gregarious.
Mainly a savannah species which avoids dense forest and desert. It is a pest of various crops, especially those under irrigation. Affected crops include onions, amaranth, cashew nuts, pineapples, citrus, coffee, taro, cucurbits, carrots, yam, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, cassava, banana, tobacco and avocado. Native plants of the Asclepias, Senecio and Solanum genera are also favoured, besides the invasive... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Elegant Grasshopper sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 50 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 25th most-seen of the 274 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Elegant Grasshopper in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in July to November, the lowest months. That is one of Pretoria's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Elegant Grasshopper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Elegant Grasshopper sightings, Pretoria has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Durban (South Africa, about 10%) and Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Pyrgomorphidae
The closest relatives of the Elegant Grasshopper that you can see in Pretoria (family Pyrgomorphidae, Gaudy Grasshoppers) are Green Milkweed Locust (about 20%), Koppie Foam Grasshopper (about 10%) and Redwart Milkweed Locust (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Elegant Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (50 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.
