Genus AULARCHES.
Aularches, Stål, Oefv. Vet.-Akad. Forli. xxx (4), 1873, pl. 51
Type, Gryllus (Locusta) miliaris, L.
Range. Indian Region.
Size large, body stout, pronotum tuberculate, wings large, coloured. Head large, smooth ; scutellum of the vertex very short, triangular, contracting uninterruptedly into a narrow sulcated frontal ridge ceasing below the antennae ; lateral carinae very distinct, running within the eyes, and slightly divergent to the extremity of the clypeus, which is broad and truncated. Antennae rather long, placed between the eyes, and composed of a number of long joints. Pronotum strongly tuberculate above, with two large contiguous humps in front, cut by the three sulci, the last sulcus placed about the middle, the hinder area rugose and deeply pitted at the sides ; deflexed lobes rounded behind. Tegmina long, moderately broad, subparallel-sided, obtusely rounded behind, with callous spots ; wings membranous, opaque, as long as the tegmina, and moderately broad. Abdomen slightly compressed, legs long and slender. Hind femora unarmed, and only slightly thickened.
The forms below are regarded by some authors as varieties of one species.
Key to the Species.
1 (2) Head pale ..........................................................miliaris, L., p. 168.
2 (1) Head black.
3 (4) Front humps of pronotum black ................. punctatus, Drury, p.169.
4 (3) Front humps of pronotum yellow .................scabiosae, F., p. 170.
200. Aularches miliaris, L.
Gryllus {Locusta) miliaris, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. (ed. x.) i, 1758, p. 432 ; Linnaeus, Mus. Lud. Ulric. 1764, p. 142.
Acrydium verrucosum, DeGeer, Mém. Ins. iii, 1773, p. 486, pl. xl, fig. 6.
Gryllus {Locusta) scabiosus, Stoll {nec Fabr.), Spectres, Saut. 1813, p. 18, pl. 76, fig. 24.
Gryllus {Locusta) conspercus, Stoll, op. cit. 1813, p. 40, pl. 226, fig. 85.
Aularches miliaris, Stål, Recens. Orth. i, 1873, p. 18.
Head yellowish, or more or less mottled with brown above ; pronotum yellow on the sides, generally with at least the spines and hinder area black. Frontal lobe with two large rounded contiguous elevations in front, black, or rarely pale ; the space between the sulci with several strong pointed conical tubercles on each side ; the hinder lobe very rugose, deeply pitted, and rounded behind, with a row of short spines on the margin, not close together. Tegmina light brown, very thickly reticulated with yellow nervures, and with a variable number of large and small callous yellow spots ; wings purplish brown, darkest towards the base. Legs yellowish, slightly mottled with darker or veined with black ; hind knees marked with black on the sides. Abdomen black, with narrow yellow incisions, and a row of yellow spots on the back before the incisions, and the apex yellow ; on the under surface the transverse bands are small, but there are no yellow spots in addition.
Length 35-52 mm. ; expanse of tegmina, 68-100 mm.
Nepal; Sikkim ; Madras: Coonoor ; Ceylon; Java.
201. Aularches punctatus, Drury.
Gryllus (Locusta) punctatus, Drury, Ill. Exot. Ent. ii, 1773, pl. xli,fig. 4.
Body almost entirely shining black above ; a broad yellow band running across the face below the antennae and across the sides ofthe pronotum; abdomen more or less banded with yellow or reddish, at least towards the extremity and on the sides, and the sternum and abdomen beneath mostly red ; abdomen and legs black, hind femora sometimes yellowish ; tegmina light brown or olive-brown, thickly reticulated with yellow, with numerous yellow callous spots ; wings purplish brown, subhyaline, darkest towards the base. Tubercles of pronotum less prominent than in A. miliaris.
Length 42-60 mm. ; expanse of tegmina, 64-110 mm.
Tibet ; Kashmir ; Nepal ; United Provinces : Garhwal ; Malay States ; Java.
The immature insect has short yellow wings.
202. Aularches scabiosae, F.
Gryllus scabiosae, Fabricius, Ent. Syst. ii, 1793, p. 51.
Shining black, with a broad yellow band across the head and sides of the pronotum, as in the last species. Pronotum with the front, including the large rounded tubercles, yellow, and the hind border, which is not very strongly dentated, also yellow. Abdomen broadly banded with red both above and below, except sometimes on the basal half above. Tegmina brown or greenish, with numerous yellow callous spots. Wings purplish brown, subhyaline towards the extremity ; sometimes with a few indistinct yellow spots.
Length 44-60 mm. ; expanse of tegmina, 80-100 mm.
Bengal : Orissa ; Bombay ; Ceylon ; Cambodia.
Aularches miliaris is a grasshopper species of the monotypic genus Aularches, belonging to the family Pyrgomorphidae.[2] The bright warning colours keep away predators and their defense when disturbed includes the ejection of a toxic foam.[3]
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.
The head and thorax are dark green with a canary-yellow band on the side. The tegmina are green with many yellow spots; the legs are blue, with a yellow serrated pattern on the hind femora. The abdomen is black with bright red bands.[3]
There are two subspecies:[2]
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.[3] Outbreaks leading to this species damaging cultivated crops are uncommon.[4]
When A. miliaris (of either sex) is disturbed or grabbed, it emits a sharp rasping noise from its thoracic segments. If its thorax is pinched, it also squirts a clear viscous mucus with unpleasant smell and a bitter taste, faintly alkaline, with many embedded bubbles. 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.[3]
Autarchies miliaris, like most other grasshoppers, are considered a pest in agricultural areas; however it is also endangered or near threatened in South India.[5] 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.[6] 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.[5] 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.[7]
Aularches miliaris is a grasshopper species of the monotypic genus Aularches, belonging to the family Pyrgomorphidae. 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.
