Dictyophorus spumans
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
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. The foam is created by a combination of haemolymph with air from the grasshopper's spiracles. 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), but can grow up to a length of 8 cm (3.1 in). The neck shield has a warty surface, and the grasshopper's colours 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. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Koppie Foam Grasshopper sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 30th 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 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April and December–January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Koppie Foam Grasshopper in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in July to September, the lowest months. Those are among Pretoria's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Koppie Foam 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 Koppie Foam Grasshopper sightings, Pretoria has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Cape Town (South Africa, about 10%) and Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Pyrgomorphidae
The closest relatives of the Koppie Foam Grasshopper that you can see in Pretoria (family Pyrgomorphidae, Gaudy Grasshoppers) are Green Milkweed Locust (about 20%), Elegant Grasshopper (about 20%) 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 Koppie Foam Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (34 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.
