Cone-headed Grasshoppers

Description:

As with many grasshoppers in various families, the males are smaller than the females and ride on them long before copulation. They remain there during the period in which the female achieves sexual receptiveness. Similar strategies are common in vertebrates such as some amphibians, as well as various invertebrates, where the males attempt to keep rivals from mating with the female.

Habitat:

Seen at a small forest near a river.

Notes:

The genus name Atractomorpha is derived from the Greek language and means "spindle-shaped" or "arrow-shaped". Not much is written about the biology of Atractomorpha, but they are herbivores typical of the Orthoptera, so it is understandable that some species seem to be minor pests in gardens and that some are significant pests in rice.