I’ve not been able to find out anything about the star of today’s world wildlife Wednesday post but I know one thing for sure – it’s a master of disguise!
It’s a Coconut grasshopper (Pseudophyllanax imperialis) and I encountered it while on a brief holiday in the seaside town of Kep in Cambodia. Apparently, it’s one of the largest species of grasshopper in the world and can be found in other coconut-growing locations, like New Caledonia, in the Pacific.
I’m not sure in what ways it’s associated with coconut trees because its patterning and colouration make it look more like the leaf of an ordinary tree rather than the palm fronds of a coconut. Mind you, those jaws look like it could quite easily crack open a coconut. Though it looks rather fierce, these grasshoppers are harmless to humans, otherwise I wouldn’t have had it sitting on my hand!
What an impressive specimen! Kudos to this find – sad about her missing left hind leg… I know it to be female due to the absence of the male’s stridulatory organ at the base of the wings and you probably noticed a blade-like apparatus projecting beyond her abdomen, being her ovipositor:
• I don’t mean to drastically alter your narrative about her identity, but you actually have a ‘Pseudophyllus titan’ (Giant False-Leaf Katydid) on your hands.
• FUN FACT – this pretty lady is not actually a grasshopper, but is biologically a cricket!:
√ Long Antennas
√ Tympanic membranes (ears) under front knees
√ [Female’s] External Ovipositor (egg-layer)
√ [Male’s] ‘Wing-on-Wing’ stridulation [which sounds like a squeak toy for this species] : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aRZXNAxrVM
Have a great day:)!
What a marvellous comment! Thank you so much for giving us such excellent information and identifying this wonderful creature. 🙂
Beautiful.
Nice shots of an impressive looking grasshopper!
Thanks so much, Belinda. Wish I’d had my good camera rather than just my point-and-shoot, though.
Apparently they feed on coconut leaves. I found a blog post here and there’s also a link in it to more information (though it’s in French, so I can’t understand it unless I put it in Google translate. Maybe you’ll have better luck?) https://newcaledoniatoday.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/great-gripping-grasshoppers-batman/
Not sure I’d be able to hold one, a bit too big for me!
Excellent! Thanks so much for sharing that, Val. I’ll see if I can remember my school-day’s French. A very gentle creature – I think you’d be okay. 🙂
It’s the size more than anything. I’m still trying to come to terms with daddy-long-legs. 🙂 If you can’t read the french, copy and paste it into Google Translate.
Hmmm, maybe these would be too large for you then.
Thanks, I read the piece and posted a comment on the blog, as they said those grasshoppers are endemic to New Caledonia, so I’m intrigued now.
He is a whopper.
Yep. A gentle giant!
It’s like a very green natural armoured tank. I love the patterns on its wings.
It is a bit of a brute! If you couldn’t see the body and legs, you’d really think it was a leaf !
That is one big grasshopper 😲
It was a whopper! I’m hoping one of my followers might know more about it. 🙂