Spotted Grasshopper Aularches punctatus Insect Specimen Cricket Orthoptera

Scientific Name: Aularches punctatus

Common Names: Northern Spotted Grasshopper, Coffee Locust, Ghost or Foam Grasshopper

Aularches miliaris is a monotypic grasshopper species in the genus Aularches of the family Acrididae. Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, this rather large grasshopper uses its bright warning coloration to deter predators and defends itself by expelling toxic foam when disturbed.
They congregate in October, their mating and egg-laying season, gathering on shrubs and grasses. They are large and slow-moving, capable of only short leaps, and are very conspicuous on vegetation. Outbreaks causing damage to cultivated crops are rare.
A. miliaris (both sexes) emit a sharp, rasping sound from their thorax when disturbed or handled. Pinching the thorax causes them to squirt a clear, viscous mucus that has an unpleasant smell and a bitter, slightly alkaline taste. This mucus is mixed with numerous bubbles. The foam is forcefully ejected from openings in the thorax and more quietly from other openings on the body (a total of 10). The foam accumulates around the insect, partially covering it.

Adult males typically measure 3.7–5.5 cm in body length, while females typically measure 4.7–6.9 cm. The head and thorax are dark green with canary-yellow stripes on the sides. The segments are green with numerous yellow spots. The legs are blue, with yellow serrated patterns on the hind femora. The abdomen is black with bright red stripes.

Due to a lack of awareness among residents regarding insect diversity, Aularches miliaris is often mistaken for plague-causing locusts, causing panic among local farmers.

Please note that we cannot offer a guarantee against damage incurred during shipping.
The individual pictured will be sent.
I measured the specimen, including its antennae, to be 84mm.