Handsome Macrotona Grasshopper - Macrotona mjoebergi
Family Acrididae
This page contains pictures and information about the Handsome Macrotona Grasshoppers that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Adult, body length 30mm
- The Handsome Macrotona Grasshoppers are black in colour with white strips from head to wing tip. Its abdomen is reddish-yellow in colour. The grasshoppers rest on eucalyptus forest floor, when we walk across, they jump and flies a few meters away and hide within plant materials on ground. Both male and female are fully winged. Their antennae are relatively short, with flattened tip.
- The Handsome Macrotona Grasshopper can be found in eucalyptus forest associated with Spinifex grass Triodia. The above pictures are taken in Alexandra Hill Conservation Area. near Coolnwynpin Creek.
- Some of their adults have dark grey hind legs while some others have bright reddish-yellow hind legs.
- However, their head and wings colour are the same.
- Nymph body length 20mm
- Nymph looks similar as adult expect smaller and wingless. Like most other grasshoppers, early in the morning, they like to rest under directly sunlight to warm up they body. Before they warm up, they are not very active and will let us took close-up pictures. After they warm up, they will jump away when we come within a meter.
- Nymph body length 15mm
- This nymph was found in the same area where we found the Handsome Macrotona Grasshopper adults. The body colours were the same but its three pair of legs were bright green in colour. We are not sure if this is the Handsome Macrotona nymph.
