Chebaling Grasshoppers

by Emmett R. Easton (University of Macau)
&Liang Ge-Qiu (Zhongshan University, Guangzhou)

The following was submitted by Drs. Easton. and Liang in response to our Special Feature on Chebaling Nature Reserve, North Guangdong, in Porcupine! 15.

The species of short-horned grasshoppers (Acridoidea) found at Chebaling were compared with those at Macau and at two other sites in Guangdong Province: Dadongshan (near Babaoshan, North Guangdong) and Xiqiaoshan (near Foshan, Central Guangdong). Representatives of the species listed below can be seen in the Research Institute of Entomology collection at Zhongshan University. Data from Xiqiaoshan was obtained through field studies at the site by both of us in July, 1993. Though there were tettigoniid or long-horned grasshoppers also present our study mainly involved five families in the Acridoidea superfamily, as this group is more diverse in South-East Asia.

Acrididae: Six species have been collected in the Chebaling Nature Reserve: Acrida cinerea (Thunb.), Gelastorhinus rotundatus Shiraki, Gonista bicolor (Haan), Phlaeoba angustidorsis Bol., P. antennata Br.-W. and P. infumata Br.-W. The first species is characterised by having the length of its head greater than that of the pronotum. In Macau and at Xiqiaoshan this species was found in open areas where new grass growth predominates. The last two species are believed to occur in Hong Kong (Clive Lau, personal communication). and P. antennata has been found in Macau (Liang & Easton, 1995).

Arcypteridae: Includes Ceracris fasciata Br.-W. which inhabits tall grasses, C. kiangsu Tsai which prefers bamboo thickets and C. nigricornis laeta (I. Bol.). The latter has been reported from roadside grasses in Hong Kong and the first two are found in Macau.

Catantopidae: The spur-throated grasshoppers:(so-called because of a tubercle in the neck region) were the most diverse family at Chebaling with 14 species. Apalacris nigrogeniculata Bi has red hind tibia and dark stripes on the hind femur. Catantops pinguis (Stal) was also reported in Hong Kong by Willemse ( 1957). Caryanda nigrolineata Liang feeds on bamboo and is only found in Guangdong Province. Chloroedocus capensis (Thunb.), with two dorsal stripes on the pronotum, was also found on Xiqiaoshan, in dense grass. Epistaurus aberrans Br.-W. is found on hillsides near streams, Oxya agavisa Tsai in rice fields. O. hyla intricata (Stal) and Oxyrrhepes obtusa (De Haan) have also been reported in Hong Kong (Hollis, 1971). Patanga succincta Johansson, known as the Bombay locust, is found in both Hong Kong and Macau; it is commonly sold for bird food in the Mong Kok bird market. The remaining species found were Sinopodisma lofaoshana (Tinkham) (a brachypterous species), Spathosternum sinense Uvarov, Traulia lofoshana Tinkham, T. orientalis Ramme and Xenocatantops h . brachycerus (Will.).

Oedipodidae: Often called the band-winged grasshoppers, five species have been found in the nature reserves: Heteropternus respondens (Walker), Gastrimargus marmoratus (Thunb.), Oedaleus abruptus (Thunb.), O. manjius Chang and Trilophidia annulata (Thunb.). G. marmoratus is found in Hong Kong and sold as bird food. T. annulata is found in both Hong Kong and Macau; despite its cryptic coloration it is probably the grasshopper- most commonly seen along hiking trails in both areas. It overwinters as an adult.

Pyrgomorphidae: These grasshoppers generally have conical heads. Three species have been found on Chebaling: Attractomorpha burri I. Bol., A. sinensis I. Bol. and Tagasta indica Bol. A. sinensis is found both in Hong Kong and in Macau; on Xiqiaoshan the authors found it feeding on garden beans.

 

A comparison of acridoid grasshopper species from three mountainous areas of Guangdong Province

FAMILY Chebaling Dadongshan Xiqiaoshan Acrididae 6 6 4 Arcypteridae 3 2 5 Catantopidae 14 12 13 Oedipodidae 5 4 8 Pyrgomorphidae 3 1 2

 

References

Easton, E.R. & G.-Q. Liang, 1994. Grasshoppers (Acridoidea) associated with Xi Qiao Mountain in central Guangdong Province of Southeastern China. Entomol. News 105(2), 119-l24.

Hollis, D., 1971. A preliminary revision of the genus Oxya Audinet-Serville ( Orthoptera: Acridoidea). Bull. British Museum (Natural History) Entomol. 26(7), 267-343.

Liang, Ge Qiu & ER Easton, 1995. A survey of grasshoppers from Macau. Suppl. J. Sun Yatsen University 140-142 (in Chinese with English abstract).

Willemse, C., 1957. Synopsis of the Acridoidea of the Indo-Malayan and adjacent regions. Part II. Publicaties van het Natuurhistorisch Genootschap in Limburg, pp. 227-500.

P.14

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