Considering the fact that the archipelago is situated right on the equator, the insect fauna of the Galapagos is shockingly small, with only about 1,500 recorded species. Of these a large proportion is endemic, and additional 400+ introduced species were also recorded at least once. Although I went to the Galapagos mainly to see marine…
Category: Orthoptera
Red-headed Bush Cricket
Even a simple dog walk can turn into a voyage of discovery. Last weekend, when letting my dogs chase chipmunks in Estabrook Woods, I found this little gem of a cricket, a species I had never seen before. It was a nymph of a Red-headed Bush Cricket (Phyllopalpus pulchellus), also known as the Handsome Trig…
The amazing flying gooseberries
If you ever find yourself in South Africa during southern spring, and stay up long into the night, until midnight at least, you may be rewarded with one of the most incredible acoustic displays that the insect world has to offer. For this is the time when the bladder grasshoppers, known in Africa as the…
How to swim on dry land
Namibia is one of the driest places on the planet. It is home to the Namib Desert, the oldest perpetually dry place on Earth, which has endured arid conditions for at least the last 55 million years. Most places in the Namib receive less than 10 mm of rain per year, some even less, and…
The Smaller Majority 