''Aularches miliaris'' is a grasshopper species of the monotypic genus ''Aularches'', belonging to the family

Pyrgomorphidae Pyrgomorphidae is a family of grasshoppers in the order Orthoptera; it is the only family in the superfamily Pyrgomorphoidea, with a pan-tropical distribution. Their name is probably derived from ''pyrgos'' (Greek: ''Πύργος'') meaning "tow ...

.(2013
''Aularches miliaris''
(

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758) from Orthoptera Species File (OSF) Online. (retrieved 16 March 2020). The bright warning colours keep away predators and their defense when disturbed includes the ejection of a toxic foam. The insect has been called by a variety of names including coffee locust, ghost grasshopper, northern spotted grasshopper, and foam grasshopper, and enjoys some popularity as a pet insect.

Description

Aularches miliaris-Silent Valley-2016-08-13-001

The head and

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

are dark green with a canary-yellow band on the side. The

tegmina A tegmen (plural: ''tegmina'') designates the modified leathery front wing on an insect particularly in the orders Dermaptera ( earwigs), Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets and similar families), Mantodea (praying mantis), Phasmatodea (stick an ...

are green with many yellow spots; the legs are blue, with a yellow serrated pattern on the hind

femora The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with t ...

. The

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

is black with bright red bands.

Subspecies and distribution

There are two subspecies: * ''A. miliaris miliaris'' (Linnaeus, 1758) - India to

Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

* ''A. miliaris pseudopunctatus'' Kevan, 1974 - Pakistan

Habits

It swarms in October, the mating and egg-laying season, collecting on bushes and grasses. It is heavy and sluggish, able to make only short leaps, very visible on vegetation. Outbreaks leading to this species damaging cultivated crops are uncommon. When ''A. miliaris'' (of either sex) is disturbed or grabbed, it emits a sharp rasping noise from its

thoracic The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

segments. If its thorax is pinched, it also squirts a clear

viscous The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water. Viscosity quantifies the inte ...

mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It ...

with unpleasant smell and a bitter taste, faintly alkaline, with many embedded

bubble Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying funda ...

s. This foam comes out as a strong jet from apertures in the thorax, and more gently from other openings in the body (ten in total); it heaps up around the insect and partly covers it.

Conservation

''Autarchies miliaris'', like most other grasshoppers, are considered a pest in agricultural areas; however it is also endangered or near threatened in South India. ''A. miliaris'' lays eggs in the soil which aerates the soil promoting biodiversity and creates ecosystem value. Their interactions and natural process contribute to the health of the soil. The presence of a variety of insects in the soil are indicators of soil quality. There are a few conservation efforts for this species. At times of high population, growth can be controlled by tilling the area where they deposit their egg pods or collecting the grasshoppers; pesticides are effective; however they are normally not environmentally friendly and can cause damage to other animals and vegetation. Lack of awareness among the residents regarding the entomofauna diversity has led to the misidentification of ''Autarchies miliaris'' as the plague causing locust species at many instances and evoked panic among local farmers.

References

External links

*
Orthoptera Species File
{{Taxonbar, from=Q14594514, from2=Q4821720, from3=Q49422598 Pyrgomorphidae Aposematic animals Grasshoppers described in 1758 Orthoptera of Asia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Monotypic Orthoptera genera