Bug FAQNew Zealand Grasshopper
Phaulacridium marginale · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Acrididae
Males are 10 to 15 mm long and females 20 to 30 mm; both have very short wings of 1 to 3 mm, so they cannot fly. They show two basic colour patterns to striped with white and black edges, or unstriped brown to and overall body colour can range from brown to green.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Two colour forms exist: a striped type with white stripes edged in black, and an unstriped brown type; overall body colour varies from brown to green, with green being rarer.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males measure 10 to 15 mm and females 20 to 30 mm in body length. Their wings are very short, only 1 to 3 mm, making them flightless.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found across low-elevation open areas of the North Island, South Island, Stewart Island and many smaller islands. Common on grassy flats, sand dunes and up to about 1,350 m in the sub-alpine Ragged Range.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Many birds and mammals eat this grasshopper, including black-billed gulls, starlings, Australian magpies and New Zealand pipits.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It belongs to the short-horned grasshopper family Acrididae. A parasitic horsehair worm has been found in at least one specimen.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is endemic to New Zealand. The species originated from an Australian lineage.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Its closest Australian relative is Phaulacridium vittatum, but they are reproductively isolated. The other New Zealand species, Phaulacridium otagoense, is limited to the South Island’s Mackenzie Basin and Central Otago.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How big is the New Zealand grasshopper?
Males are 10 to 15 mm long and females 20 to 30 mm; both have very short 1 to 3 mm wings and cannot fly.
Source: Wikipedia
What colours does it have?
It occurs in striped (white stripes with black edges) and unstriped brown forms, and overall body colour can range from brown to green.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does this grasshopper live?
It lives in low-elevation open habitats across New Zealand’s main islands and many smaller islands, especially grassy flats, sand dunes and up to 1,350 m in the sub-alpine zone.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it native to New Zealand?
Yes, it is endemic to New Zealand and derived from an Australian lineage.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Acrididae)
Differential GrasshopperMelanoplus differentialisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Two-striped GrasshopperMelanoplus bivittatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Carolina GrasshopperDissosteira carolinaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Field GrasshopperChorthippus brunneus
Egyptian Bird GrasshopperAnacridium aegyptium
Gray Bird GrasshopperSchistocerca nitensDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaulacridium_marginale
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.