Pygmy Grasshopper

Description:

This cute little thing is a Pygmy Grasshopper of the Family Rhipipterygidae and is only 4 mm in length. They love rocky river gorges and are brightly colored in black and white with red knees on the hing legs. Oddly, the white band on the antennae can vary in size from individual to individual, compare the first two photos to the last two. The jump and fly readily. When on the ground, they don't seem to use the hind legs at all. In all the pictures, the tibiae and tarsi of the hind legs are folded close to the body. The Ripipterygidae is an exclusively Neotropical family of small, grasshopper-like orthopterans, not yet well studied. They are also sometimes called "Mud Crickets".

Habitat:

Along the San Vicente River, Chiflón Waterfall Park, Chiapas, Mexico.

Notes:

http://www.bio-nica.info/RevNicaEntomo/6... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/14... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/16...