Dictyophorus spumans
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Koppie Foam Grasshopper sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 81 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 44 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Koppie Foam Grasshopper in West Coast National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and April, the lowest months.
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 4 parks where we can rate Koppie Foam Grasshopper sightings, West Coast National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 40%) and Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Koppie Foam Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in West Coast National Park (81 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
