Painted Grasshopper - Poekilocerus pictus

Common Name :	Painted Grasshopper, AK Grasshopper.
Botanical Name :	Poekilocerus pictus
Family :	Pyrogomorphinae

এইরকম অদ্ভূত রঙের ঘাস ফড়িং আমি আগে কখনো দেখি নাই... এইবার পাবনার পদ্মার পাড়ে দেখা পেয়ে গেলাম এইরকম আজব ঘাস ফড়িং এর... চমত্কার হলুদ নীল রঙের এই ঘাস ফড়িং দেখলে মনে হবে যেন কেউ রং করে দিয়েছে... মূলত আকন্দ গাছের সাদা দুধের মতন কষ খেয়েই এরা বেচে থাকে... সেই কষের বিষাক্ত রাসায়নিক পদার্থের জন্যই এদের গায়ের রং এমন হলুদ হয়... প্রতিনিয়ত গাছের পাতা খেয়ে খেয়ে এরা আকন্দ গাছকে প্রায় মৃত্যুর দিকে নিয়ে যায়...

I have seen different grasshoppers before, but never saw like this one. Very lovely color orientation with totally a different food habit. Main color of this grasshopper is yellow and blue. Also it has a slight touch of red at the bottom side of the wings. It seems like a painted grasshopper. Interestingly, its truly named as Painted Grasshopper.

Scientific name of this grasshppper is Poekilocerus pictus. And it belongs to the family pyrogomorphinae. Its main host is Calotropis plant which is locally known as Akondo(আকন্দ). If you have lot of such plants around your house, then you are just inviting this grasshoppers. Though its harmless to human beings.

Male and female are matting.

This insect eats the leafs of Calotropis plant and very rare its attacking on other plants. Basically it likes the milk of that plant. During this process, it completely destroys the plant. They got that yellow color which is only because of those toxic alkaloids obtained from the milk of Calotropis plant as a process of their food habit.

Mainly the adults are seen after or during the monsoon. After successfully matting with a male, the female lays eggs as a pod during September to November. Later from April to May those eggs start hatching.

Photos of this article were taken from Pabna(পাবনা) during October 2012. It was beside the river Padma(পদ্মা নদী) and a bunch of Calotropis plants were hosting this insects.