Diabolocatantops pinguis (Mating Behavior)

Today, I bring to you Diabolocatantops pinguis grasshopper.

I found them under two different conditions — one pair inseparable in the garden, and the other hopping here and there. This beautiful insect flew from one place to another within the garden. I was able to take 50 good pictures, out of which I published a few.

They looked like grasshoppers in a romantic setup — almost as if they didn’t want to leave each other. Probably mating... who knows?

The funny thing is that these grasshoppers are of the same species. One must be a male, and the other a female. They flew together from one place to another whenever they felt insecure. Just like butterflies, I’ll call this grasshopper moment a honeymoon.

Brown and energetic. I like it.

Feel free to scroll through. The first grasshopper below is probably wiping its eye.

Can you see that the male grasshopper positions itself on the female's back. This is the mating behavior. You cannot easily separate them when they are in this position.

This connection allows for sperm transfer; however, they can still hop together while positioned like this. The process takes a while.

Thanks for viewing!

Observation links: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/aristortle01

or

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/290137375

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/290131506