The Stick Grasshopper (Paraproscopia riedei) is an insect in the Proscopiidae family. It is also known as the Locust Phasmid, the Horsehead Grasshopper, and the Jumping Stick. It is not a stick insect phasmid – it is a stick locust, a proscopiid.
The Stick Grasshopper has a green to brown, cylindrical, and elongated body. It has a conical head with large eyes. It has short antennae. The wings are extremely short or absent. It cannot fly and protects itself by camouflaging itself like a stick. It has six long thin legs. It has strong hind (back) legs and it can jump large distances.
The female is larger than the male, up to twice his size.
It is found in tropical South America in countries such as Ecuador and Colombia.
The Stick Grasshopper is herbivorous, feeding on brambles and oak.
The female has an egg case called ootheca with a protective outer coating that she inserts into loose soil. The ootheca contains several hundred eggs. The eggs hatch into nymphs.
Location of photographs: Parc Zoologique de Paris in Bois de Vincennes, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM