Dictyophorus spumans, also knoan as the koppie foam grasshopper, is a species of
grasshopper in the family
Pyrgomorphidae, indigenous to southern Africa. The name "foam grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its
thoracic glands, using a combination of
hemolymph with air from the grasshopper's
spiracles. Adult males are typically 4.5–5 cm (1.8–2.0 in) long and females typically 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in), but can grow up to a length of 8 cm (3.1 in). This
D. spumans nymph was photographed in the
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, Roodepoort, South Africa.
Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp