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An amateur photographer was stunned after he spotted a rare pink grasshopper at the bottom of his garden.
Pink grasshopper. A rare phenomenon caused by erythrism.
Only little is known about pink grasshoppers, except that the color deviation is likely to be caused by the lack of black pigment (eumelanin) on one hand and on the other hand an excessive production of the red pigment (phaeomelanin).
This phenomenon is called erythrism and is defined as an unusual reddish discoloration of fur, hair, skin, feathers or egg shells.
The combination of red hair and freckles in humans is thought to be a form of erythrism, too.
However rare they may be, don't survive long in the wild because they're easily found by predators.
Pink dominance..?
Some theories claim that the gene for the pink color would be dominant in locusts, but that they simply don’t reach maturity due to the vulnerability that comes with this pink color.
In a predominantly green area, being pink obviously is no benefit.
Another theory assumes that the pink gene is recessive.
Two parents with a latent pink gene are needed, to create a pink baby grasshopper.
Of course it’s thinkable that the color pink would provide an advantage.
Like -for example- in a field of pink flowers.
In a case like this, the pink version would have an advantage over his green brothers and theoretically this could result in an entire pink population!
Imagine how happy would you be when you found that one very rare green one!
excerpt from RoeselienaRaymondphotgraphy/Bbc
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Pink grasshopper. A rare phenomenon caused by erythrism.
Only little is known about pink grasshoppers, except that the color deviation is likely to be caused by the lack of black pigment (eumelanin) on one hand and on the other hand an excessive production of the red pigment (phaeomelanin).
This phenomenon is called erythrism and is defined as an unusual reddish discoloration of fur, hair, skin, feathers or egg shells.
The combination of red hair and freckles in humans is thought to be a form of erythrism, too.
However rare they may be, don't survive long in the wild because they're easily found by predators.
Pink dominance..?
Some theories claim that the gene for the pink color would be dominant in locusts, but that they simply don’t reach maturity due to the vulnerability that comes with this pink color.
In a predominantly green area, being pink obviously is no benefit.
Another theory assumes that the pink gene is recessive.
Two parents with a latent pink gene are needed, to create a pink baby grasshopper.
Of course it’s thinkable that the color pink would provide an advantage.
Like -for example- in a field of pink flowers.
In a case like this, the pink version would have an advantage over his green brothers and theoretically this could result in an entire pink population!
Imagine how happy would you be when you found that one very rare green one!
excerpt from RoeselienaRaymondphotgraphy/Bbc
