Lesley Smitheringale Fine Art

The Giant Grasshoppers (Valanga irregularis) are the largest grasshoppers in Australia. They are also commonly known as Giant Valanga and Hedge Grasshoppers. The Giant Grasshoppers are native to Australia. The adult size varies from 60-90mm and they are common in Brisbane.  They eat almost all kinds of leaves and in the early morning they are often found sun-bathing on leaves. At that time they are easy to catch. After they have been warmed up, they jump high and fly away quickly. Notice the spines on their hind legs - if they are caught by birds or in a spider’s web, they will attack their predators with their hind legs.

Their body colour and patterns vary. Usually the adults are greyish - green and brown in colour with a black dots pattern on their forewings. The colours resemble the plant stem where they usually hide. The nymphs are  very easily noticed by their predators, such as birds, however, after moulting, some of the grasshopper nymphs’ body colour will change very close to their background environment.  The young grasshoppers look similar to the adults except they have no wings. Their size is 5mm for the first instar to 80mm for the last instar. The nymphs also vary in colour, some brown or grey in colour can be found although not as common as the flash green. Notice also that the young nymph has the two dark marks on the top of the hind legs. The dark marks become lighter in colour in the later instar stages.