Global InformationBrachaspis robustus information
| Robust grasshopper | |
|---|---|
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| Brachaspis robustus illustrated by Des Helmore | |
Conservation status
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 Nationally Endangered (NZ TCS) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Caelifera |
| Family: | Acrididae |
| Genus: | Brachaspis Hutton, 1898[1] |
| Species: | B. robustus
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| Binomial name | |
| Brachaspis robustus Bigelow, 1967
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| The distribution of B. robustus in New Zealand | |
Brachaspis robustus is a nationally endangered species of grasshopper[2] endemic to the Mackenzie Basin of the South Island of New Zealand.[3] The genus Brachaspis is endemic to the South Island. Although a grasshopper, it is a poor jumper, relying on camouflage to hide from predators. It is threatened by introduced mammals such as stoats, hedgehogs, and rats.[4]
The New Zealand entomologist Tara Murray told North & South magazine in 2019: “They can actually jump, they just don’t land very well. On a hot day, an adult male can jump up to 1.5m, multiple times. Females are bulkier, so they don’t jump as far. These grasshoppers freeze as a first defence. If they do jump, it often ends as a back flop, belly flop or general ‘thock’ on the ground.” [4]
- ^ Hutton, F.W. 1898. Notes on the New Zealand. Proc. Trans. NZ Inst. 31: 44-50
- ^ Pawson, S. M., and R. M. Emberson. 2000. The conservation status of invertebrates in Canterbury. Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand.
- ^ Trewick, Steven A. (2001-01-01). "Identity of an endangered grasshopper (Acrididae: Brachaspis): Taxonomy, molecules and conservation". Conservation Genetics. 2 (3): 233–243. doi:10.1023/A:1012263717279 – via Researchgate.
- ^ a b Noted. "How a remarkable native insect is being saved". Noted. Retrieved 2019-06-19.