Don't want to see ads? Sign up...




Dictyophorus spumans

Dictyophorus spumans


Family: Pyrgomorphidae
Order: Orthoptera
Class: Insecta
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

 Request change



Filters


Records from Roodeport


Description


Dictyophorus spumans, the koppie foam grasshopper, , or African foam grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae indigenous to southern Africa. The name "foaming grasshopper" derives from the insect´s ability to produce a toxic foam from its thoracic glands. The foam is created by a combination of haemolymph with air from the grasshopper´s spiracles. Its genus Dictyophorus is closely related to Phymateus.

Adult males are typically long and females typically , but can grow up to a length of . The neck shield has a warty surface, and the grasshopper´s colours are highly variable but usually with at least parts that are contrasting and bright. It is toxic due to the poisons that it sequesters from its diet, which includes a large number of toxic and distasteful plants such as milkweed.

Subspecies: 
  • D. s. subsp. spumans – South Africa
  • D. s. subsp. ater – northern South Africa and Zimbabwe
  • D. s. subsp. pulchra – eastern South Africa and Mozambique
  • D. s. subsp. servillei – southern Africa
  • D. s. subsp. calceata – southern Africa

Source: Wikipedia, article Dictyophorus spumans. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.





Geographic distribution


Loading map...




Species photographs

Last published photographs

Foto
Photography ID: 107640
  Adult

Roodeport
Gauteng
South Africa
06/13/2015
Luis Cesar Tejo



 View all photographs of the species




 Add a photography of this species






Species vocalizations

Last vocalizations published



 Add an audio of this species





Species videos

Last filmings published




 Add a film of this species





Species reports



 Detail of places sorted by number of records








Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
31012113/06/2015South AfricaGautengWalter Sisulu Botanical Garden, RoodeportLuis Cesar Tejo
Page 1

 Add a record of this species

📖
Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Dictyophorus spumans – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 24/09/2026.