Poekilocerus pictus
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
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 →
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More parks will be added in future updates.
No species of the same family or order lives in Vasai-Virar, so these are its closest relatives here: other insects.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Grasshopper sighting in Vasai-Virar on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 20 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and November
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Grasshopper in Vasai-Virar on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month. Those are among Vasai-Virar's wettest months, with about 320 mm of rain a month against almost none in January.
Yes
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Painted Grasshopper sightings, Vasai-Virar has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Chennai (India, about 20%) and Prayagraj (India, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Painted Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Vasai-Virar (13 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.
