page_title: Valanga irregularis
section_title: Ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Valanga irregularis / Ecology
caption_attribution_description: Giant Valanga (Valanga irregularis) eating a leaf.
context_page_description: Valanga irregularis belongs to the Family of Acrididae. The distribution is restricted in the Australian tropics and subtropics. The species belongs to the largest grasshopper of the continent. Usually the animal lives a solitary mode of life.
context_section_description: Valanga irregularis feeds on shrubs, in particular Acalypha, Hibiscus or Bauhinia. Another food source are palm trees (Arecaceae). They possess strong mandibles which are used to eat the plant beginning from the leaf margin. The feeding takes place all night long and they remain hidden behind branches during hot and rainy days.
  Adult individuals are good jumpers and can defend against predators like mantises (Mantodea) or lynx spiders with the spines on the hindlegs. Moreover, Valanga irregularis is well camouflaged as the body colour resembles the plant stem and leaf they are hiding behind.
  Valanga irregularis mostly lives in solitude and does not form swarms. However, under favourable conditions, they may set up in small groups and may cause damage as for instance on young coffee berries. Nevertheless, the species does not count as an ecological vermin.
  Adults generally spend the winter months in their hideout but they remain not completely inactive as they leave their lair from time to time for eating or sunbathing. The mating season begins in the first warm spring days. The males call the females with noises and they typically meet on the food supply.
caption: Giant valanga eating a leaf
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