Rare Pink Robust Grasshopper Confirmed Near Lake Takapō

Overview

• The insect was spotted during the Department of Conservation’s annual grasshopper survey near Lake Takapō, with ranger Jen Schori filming and photographing the encounter.
• Experts attribute the striking colour to erythrism, a rare pigment mutation that produces excess red tones.
• Sigaus robustus is New Zealand’s largest lowland grasshopper, restricted to braided‑river margins in the Mackenzie Basin and listed as nationally endangered.
• The individual was located beyond a small predator‑exclusion fence built in 2018, leaving it more visible to introduced predators such as hedgehogs, cats and birds.
• DOC has not reported any capture or relocation of the insect, and researchers note its unusual colouring could increase predation risk.