### Identification The Koppie Foam Grasshopper (*Dictyophorus spumans*) is a heavyweight of the insect world, reaching a formidable length of up to 80mm. It possesses a robust, armored appearance with a distinctive "granular" texture on its thorax. While coloration is highly polymorphic, the most striking form is jet-black with vivid yellow or orange bands tracing the edges of its segments. Look closely at the small, underdeveloped wing covers; when the grasshopper is disturbed, it may flash its hindwings, which are a startling, hidden shade of bright red or pink. Unlike the slender, flight-ready locusts, *D. spumans* is flightless and built like a miniature tank.
### Habitat & Range This species is a quintessential resident of Southern Africa, particularly common in the rocky ridges and scrublands of South Africa’s Karoo and Fynbos biomes. You’ll often find them perched on sun-warmed stones or clinging to low-lying shrubs. They favor arid to semi-arid environments where their specific host plants thrive, ranging from sea level up into mountainous rocky outcrops (koppies).
### Behaviour Observing a Foam Grasshopper is a lesson in "aposematism"—warning coloration. Because they are highly toxic, they make no effort to hide. They move with a slow, deliberate crawl, seemingly indifferent to predators. If poked, however, they perform their signature trick: they hiss and extrude a bubbling, foul-smelling mass of foam from their thoracic spiracles. This "chemical scream" is designed to repel birds and lizards both through its bitter taste and its alarming, sizzling sound.
### Diet These grasshoppers are specialists, primarily foraging on toxic plants in the milkweed family (*Asclepiadaceae*). They are particularly fond of the Milkweed (*Asclepias*) and Bitter-apple (*Solanum*). By consuming these plants, they sequester cardiac glycosides—potent toxins that they store in their bodies as a lethal defense mechanism against predators.
### Fascinating Fact The "foam" in their name isn't just for show! When the grasshopper produces its defensive bubbles, it is actually forcing air and fluid through its thoracic openings. This creates a literal chemical aerosol that can cause skin irritation in humans and can even be "fired" with enough pressure to startle a curious dog or bird away from a potential meal.