The Pink-winged Grasshopper is an Asian grasshopper with a long, pointed head whose hind wings carry a pink tint. In the United States it is an introduced species known from Hawaii, where it was first reported in 1900 and now occurs on all the major islands. Unlike many grasshoppers, it feeds on broadleaf plants rather than grasses, including many garden vegetables.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Slender, with a long cone-shaped head and the antennae set near its tip. Adults come in a bright green form and a gray form. When the wings are folded, their tips show a pink tint, and a pinkish-white stripe runs along the edge of the face and the hind legs.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- gardens and farms
- weedy fields
- Range
- Native to East Asia, including China, Taiwan, and southern Japan. In the U.S. it is an introduced species known from Hawaii.
Behavior
- Diet
- Leaves, buds, and tender stems of many plants. In Hawaii it feeds on crops such as cabbage, broccoli, celery, beans, onions, potato, spinach, tomato, and pineapple, plus weeds and garden plants. Heavy feeding can scar produce enough to make it unsellable, though plants are seldom stripped bare.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Eggs are laid in the soil in cylindrical pods of about 27–38 eggs, held together by a dried froth. They hatch in about 47–49 days.
- Larva
- pass through five (males) or six (females) stages. Egg to adult takes about five months in Hawaii.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
More species to explore
Record what you meet and build your own collection
Your photos are kept with their date and place, and you can fill regional albums one species at a time.