Bladder grasshoppers are amongst the most spectacular sound producing insects in the world.
Order Orthoptera Bladder Grasshoppers are unique to Africa, South of the Sahara, and most species are endemic to South Africa. The ability to hear and to produce sounds has developed several times in these insects. Unlike crickets, which sing by rubbing their forewings together, male Bladder Grasshoppers sing by rubbing their hind legs against a file on the abdomen, an inflated 'bladder', which resonates to produce the sound. In some species it is known that the flightless female is able to answer the male. One of the problems that affects these insects is that the males of some species are strongly attracted to lights.