Aularches miliaris (Linnaeus)

Taxonomic position

Insecta: Orthoptera: Caelifera: Pyrgomorphoidea: Pyrgomorphidae: Pyrgomorphinae: Taphrontini

Common names

Spotted grasshopper, spotted locust, coffee locust

Diagnosis

Adults are brightly and aposematically colored with a black head, yellow tuberculate thorax, greenish forewings with yellow spots and a black and red-banded abdomen. Nymphs are blackish with yellow markings.

Habitat / Crop(s) damaged

It is commonly found in plantations and is a minor pest of coconut, arecanut, jack, banana, tea, coffee, cacao, teak, rubber, Erythrina indica, cardamom, cassava, pigeonpea, castor, guava, mango, mulberry, and many other plants.

Pest status

Minor, causing occasional economic damage. The IUCN has designated this insect as a lower risk, near-threatened taxon for South India.

Images