I found this insect in India two months ago. Is this a grasshopper of some sort? The antenna that is seen in the pic is only one of the pair. The other is not visible in this image. And what are those strange red buttons on its body? Can someone ID this insect?
This is a nymph of a short-horned grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae), but I have no idea as to the species. You might try locating a copy of "Grasshopper Fauna of West Bengal, India (Orthoptera: Acrididae)" or "Out line of distribution with an index catalogue of Indian grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea)," both authored by H.K. Bhowmik in "Records of the Zoological Survey of India: Occasional Papers." As to the red objects, I suspect that they may be parasitic mites - see http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo178987.htm for an example.
hi,
Thanks for the ID. I will post this in my blog today.
cheers
deadmanswill
