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Aidemona azteca
Brightly colored Grasshopper with warning coloration. The black banding on the head continues right through the eye. The genetics for that must be complex. Photo 1 is of the 1st instar nymph, which is more black than yellow, humpbacked and about as small as an ant. Photos 2, 3 and 4 are of the mid-level nymph, about 2 cm long. Photos 5 and 6 are of the last instar nymph (with large wing pads), spotted on August 12th, 2013. The adults are quite plain and can be seen in one of the references listed below.
Heavy shrubbery along the highway between San Cristobal de Las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez, km 11.5, 865 meters.
Acrididae (Short-horned Grasshoppers) » Melanoplinae (Spur-throated Grasshoppers) » Melanoplini » Aidemona » Aidemona azteca (Aztec Spur-throat). http://bugguide.net/node/view/201487 http://www.greglasley.net/nonBirds/ http://bugguide.net/node/view/134480 (This also shows the rather plain adults). See also spottings from Puerto Vallarta Mexico by Luis Stevens: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/158.... and a white version of the species from San Luis Potosí: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/131.... The distribution of this species is from the southern US down through Chiapas, Mexico.
Spotted on Aug 2, 2013
Submitted on Aug 18, 2013
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Added pictures and ID….