Garden locust

Acanthacris ruficornis

Acanthacris ruficornis is found virtually throughout Africa south of the Sahara. It is eaten as food by people in the northern parts of South Africa (Chesler 1938), as well as in Congo and the Sahel (i.e. the band of arid savannah just south of the Sahara) (van Huis 1996). Pallatable grasshoppers and locusts are normally cooked, fried or roasted, after the legs and wings have been removed. In South Africa it is the common large brown grasshopper found in people's gardens, often referred to erroneously as a locust (the term locust should be applied only to swarming species of grasshoppers).
These strong insects can break human skin when they kick using the spines on the hind legs.
The final molt Jiminy cricket who has been living on my lavender bush since he was born, is no longer a little nymph. I was just in time to see him cast off his skin to reveal an adult locust. Of course he will still have more molts before he reaches his full size, but...my little boy has grown up! So proud. Here he is drying his wings... http://www.jungledragon.com/image/25550/locust_wings.html And here was the previous molt: http://www.jungledragon.com/image/25608/locust_molt.html Acanthacris ruficornis,Garden locust,Geotagged,Winter,insects,locusts,molt,moltings,orthoptera,shedding,south africa

Appearance

Large (body length 65mm), familiar with midline cream stripe down dark brown thorax and wings. Hind tibia have well developed white and red spines. Hind wings pale lemon.
Nymphs are bright green, some later becoming brown or pink.
Jiminy Cricket Or Garden locust nymph to be precise. Acanthacris ruficornis,Garden locust,Geotagged,South Africa,Summer,insects,locusts,orthoptera,south africa

Naming

Fabricius 1787
Garden locust nymph in molt I was fortunate enough to watch the little nymph molting from start to finish last month. The whole process took around 30 minutes. It was still a nymph when it emerged, just a bigger one. Absolutely fascinating, I had never seen this before. The photo below was the next molt when the nymph became an adult locust: http://www.jungledragon.com/image/25549/the_final_molt.html Acanthacris ruficornis,Garden locust,Geotagged,South Africa,insects,locusts,orthoptera,south africa

Distribution

Throughout sub-Saharan Africa
Locust drying its wings Having just emerged from being a nymph into an adult locust. http://www.jungledragon.com/image/25549/the_final_molt.html Acanthacris ruficornis,Garden locust,Geotagged,South Africa,Summer,insects,locusts,orthoptera,south africa

Behavior

Wings of adults make a cracking sound when in flight
Caught in the act Garden locust nymph devouring my lavender! Acanthacris ruficornis,Garden locust,Geotagged,South Africa,Summer,insects,locusts,orthoptera,south africa

Habitat

Found on bushes or trees in open ground, especially in stands of Port Jackson willow (Acacia saligna), also in gardens. Absent from very arid areas.
Garden locust (Acanthacris ruficornis) Not the best photo, as you can see it was quite a distance away. These grasshoppers are a delicacy in some countries, fried or roasted after the wings and legs have been removed :( Their hind legs have spines which can break human skin if kicked by these strong insects. Acanthacris ruficornis,Garden locust,Geotagged,South Africa,Winter,africa,grasshoppers,insects,south africa

Reproduction

Adults common in autumn when approximately 120 very large (<>6mm) are loosely laid in a weak pod, often in freshly turned soil. Winter is probably spent in the egg sac and nymphs appear in October.

Food

Feeds on leaves, buds and flowers of various trees and also grasses.

Defense

Well developed spines on hind legs.

Uses

Acanthacris ruficornis is found virtually throughout Africa south of the Sahara. It is eaten as food by people in the northern parts of South Africa (Chesler 1938), as well as in Congo and the Sahel (i.e. the band of arid savannah just south of the Sahara) (van Huis 1996). Pallatable grasshoppers and locusts are normally cooked, fried or roasted, after the legs and wings have been removed.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/orthoptera/acrididae/acanthacris_ruficornis.htm
Field Guide to Insects of South Africa , Mike Picker, Charles Griffiths Alan Weaving 2004
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderOrthoptera
FamilyAcrididae
GenusAcanthracis
SpeciesAcanthacris ruficornis
Photographed in
South Africa