New Zealand Invertebrates

11005-25812 Robust grasshopper (Brachaspis robustus) habitat. An iconic native grasshopper, which has evolved to survive on the glacial outwashes and braided rivers of the Mackenzie Basin. In this unique landscape the grasshopper copes with sub-zero temperatures in winter. Although protected in a recently established 440ha reserve near Tekapo, it is highly endangered because the rapid expansion of farming in the district has greatly reduced its habitat - it avoids grass and prefers to rely on its stony camouflage, rather than hop from danger, making it a very unusual 'grasshopper'. It is particularly vulnerable to introduced predators such as hedgehogs and cats, which now stalk the riverbeds for food. Tekapo Riverbed, Mackenzie Basin *

217 / 716

11005-25812 Robust grasshopper (Brachaspis robustus) habitat. An iconic native grasshopper, which has evolved to survive on the glacial outwashes and braided rivers of the Mackenzie Basin. In this unique landscape the grasshopper copes with sub-zero temperatures in winter. Although protected in a recently established 440ha reserve near Tekapo, it is highly endangered because the rapid expansion of farming in the district has greatly reduced its habitat - it avoids grass and prefers to rely on its stony camouflage, rather than hop from danger, making it a very unusual 'grasshopper'. It is particularly vulnerable to introduced predators such as hedgehogs and cats, which now stalk the riverbeds for food. Tekapo Riverbed, Mackenzie Basin *

25812 Robust grasshopper Brachaspis robustus invertebrate Tekapo Riverbed Mackenzie Basin