Phymateus is a genus of fairly large of the family Pyrgomorphidae, native to shrubland, semi-deserts, savanna, woodland, gardens and cultivated areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, with ten species in the African mainland and two species in Madagascar.
Description
Phymateus are African grasshoppers that typically are about long as adults, with females generally being larger than males of the same species.[ Some species at maturity are capable of long migratory flights. They raise and rustle wings when disturbed and may secrete a noxious fluid from the thoracic joint.][ Field Guide to Insects - Picker, Griffiths & Weaving (2004)] Their toxins, which are accumulated from the toxic plants they feed on, can be very strong and there have been reported deaths in birds and mammals, including humans, after eating Phymateus grasshoppers.
List of species
The Orthoptera Species File lists:[ Orthoptera Species File: Genus Phymateus]
- subgenus Maphyteus Bolívar, 1904
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Phymateus baccatus Stål, 1876
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Phymateus leprosus (Fabricius, 1793)
- subgenus Phymateus Thunberg, 1815
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Phymateus aegrotus (Gerstaecker, 1869)
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Phymateus bolivari Kirby, 1910
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Phymateus cinctus (Fabricius, 1793)
synonyms: P. stolli (Saussure, 1861) = P. flavus (I. Bolivar, 1903) = P. squarrosus (Maarten Houttuyn, 1813)
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Phymateus iris Bolívar, 1882
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Phymateus karschi Bolívar, 1904
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Phymateus madagassus Karsch, 1888
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Phymateus morbillosus (Carl Linnaeus, 1758) = type species (as Gryllus morbillosus L.)
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Phymateus pulcherrimus (I. Bolívar, 1904)
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Phymateus saxosus (Charles Coquerel, 1862)
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Phymateus viridipes Stål, 1873
[ Biolib]
== Gallery ==
External links
