Rare Sighting of a ‘Grasshopper’ Last Seen 85 Years Ago

According to Saed News’ society service, Chou Tandaar encountered a strange creature feeding on a citrus plant during a family trip to Myanmar. He captured photos of the insect with his phone.

Exactly one month after Tandaar’s encounter with the insect in Nyaungyo in November 2022, Marlar Kya spotted the same creature while studying sesame plants in the town of Yenangyaung, also in Myanmar.

Both Kya and Tandaar uploaded their photos to a Facebook group called “Conservation and Identification of Native Species in Myanmar”, but members were unable to identify the colorful insect. That’s when they reached out to entomologist Josip Škiju.

Unintentionally, Kya and Tandaar had rediscovered a grasshopper species that had not been seen for 85 years: Burmorthacris subaptera. Researchers note that this species has a large, bulky body and small wings.

Experts explain that B. subaptera was first identified as a distinct species in 1964, when three researchers found male and female specimens in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The specimens had been collected in Yenangyaung in 1937 but remained unidentified until 1964.

Since the collection of the first two specimens, researchers had not observed this grasshopper again. Thanks to Kya and Tandaar, scientists are now studying the species anew to learn more about it, noting its small wings, large body, and unique coloration. Initially, the species had only been recorded in Yenangyaung, but Tandaar’s encounter indicates a broader range.

Scientists caution that there is still insufficient information to fully understand the species’ diet and that further research is needed.

Yenangyaung and Nyaungyo are located in central-western Myanmar.