SPECIES: Keyacris scurra — Key's Matchstick Grasshopper
CLASSIFICATION: Endangered
Tiny, wingless, and brilliantly camouflaged, Key's Matchstick Grasshopper may be small – but it's incredibly important. Known as Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper, this rare insect measures just a few centimetres long and is named for its slender body and matchstick-like appearance. Despite its status, this grasshopper has flown (or hopped) under the radar for decades. Unlike most grasshoppers, it can’t fly, relying instead on short hops to move through its environment. It’s a specialist feeder too, depending on native grasses like Austrodanthonia to survive.
Once widespread across south-eastern Australia, the grasshopper has suffered from extensive habitat loss. Urbanisation, grazing, invasive weeds and changing fire regimes have devastated its native grassland homes. Today, only a handful of isolated populations remain, making it one of Australia’s most threatened grasshoppers.
Photo: Atlas of Living Australia