Tropidacris collaris
Mating pair above, nymph below
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Caelifera
Family: Romaleidae
Genus: Tropidacris
Species:
T. collaris
Binomial name
Tropidacris collaris
(Stoll, 1813)
Specimen showing the typically blue wings of T. collaris

Tropidacris collaris, the blue-winged grasshopper or violet-winged grasshopper, is a large South American species of grasshopper in the family Romaleidae. As suggested by its name, in flight the wings are usually conspicuously blue, but they can occasionally be grayish or greenish.[1] Adult males are typically 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) long and females typically 8.5–10.5 cm (3.3–4.1 in) long;[2][3] the wingspan is usually about 18 cm (7 in).[4] The gregarious and flightless nymphs are aposematically colored in black, red and yellow and are presumed to be toxic;[5] a researcher who tasted one noted that it was very bitter, similar to a monarch butterfly.[6]

Tropidacris collaris is common in a wide range of habitats from rainforests to dry open areas like Caatinga and Cerrado. It is widespread in South America east of the Andes, from Colombia and the Guianas to central Argentina, but generally avoiding highlands.[1][7] They feed on many types of plants, including several species of agricultural crops, trees grown in plantations and ornamental plants, and they are considered a pest in some parts of their range.[7][8] They are popular among insect and terrarium enthusiasts.[9]

A grasshopper of this species was spotted landing on the arm of James Rodríguez, after he scored a goal during Colombia's 2–1 defeat to Brazil, at the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[10][11]

References

  1. 1 2 Carbonell, Carlos S. (1986). "Revision of the Neotropical Genus Tropidacris (Orthoptera, Acridoidea, Romaleidae, Romaleinae)". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 138 (2): 366–402. JSTOR 4064913.
  2. ↑ Costa, M.K.C.M. (2003). "Descrição histológica do estomedeu de Tropidacris collaris (Stoll, 1813) (Orthoptera: Romaleidae)". Arq. Inst. Biol. 70 (3): 259–263.
  3. ↑ Duranton, J.M.; Launois, M.; Launois-Luong, M.-H.; Lecoq, M. (1987). Guia prático de luta contra os gafanhotos devastadores no Brasil. Food and Agriculture Organization. pp. 41–42. ISBN 2-87614-006-3.
  4. ↑ Patrikeev, M. "Giant Violet-winged Grasshopper (Tropidacris collaris)". wildnatureimages.org. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  5. ↑ Despland, E.; Srygley, R.B. (2020). "Ontogenetic shift from aposematism and gregariousness to crypsis in a Romaleid grasshopper". PLOS ONE. 15 (8): e0237594. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1537594D. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237594. PMC 7444530. PMID 32817631.
  6. ↑ Starr, C.K. (1998). "Field observations of Tropidacris collaris (Orthoptera: Romaleidae)". Living World. 1997–1998: 46–47.
  7. 1 2 Paula Romão, E.d. (2017), Distribuição geográfica e potencial das espécies do gênero Tropidacris Scudder, 1869 (Orthoptera: Romaleidae), Pará State University
  8. ↑ Pelizza, S. A; Elíades, L. A; Saparrat, M. C. N; Cabello, M. N; Scorsetti, A. C; Lange, C. E (2011). "Screening of Argentine native fungal strains for biocontrol of the grasshopper Tropidacris collaris: Relationship between fungal pathogenicity and chitinolytic enzyme activity". World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 28 (4): 1359–66. doi:10.1007/s11274-011-0935-8. hdl:11336/80537. PMID 22805916. S2CID 2183951.
  9. ↑ Attard, Lydia M; Carreno, Ramon A; Paré, Jean A; Peregrine, Andrew S; Dutton, Christopher J; Mason, Thomas R (2008). "Mermithid Nematode Infection in a Colony of Blue-winged Grasshoppers (Tropidacris collaris)". Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. 39 (3): 488–92. doi:10.1638/2007-0179.1. PMID 18817018. S2CID 8076265.
  10. ↑ "Huge grasshopper lands on Rodriguez". BBC News.
  11. ↑ "The alternative 2014 sports awards: The year's best gaffes, rows and grasshoppers". TheGuardian.com. 27 December 2014.
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