Male Heavy Jumper | Hyllus diardi

In the midst of very hot weather last weekend, we took the time to walk around the plantation area in Saweuk Village, North Aceh.

Hunting macro photography subjects in hot, steamy weather is tough. But things got fun when we saw something on a rotten piece of wood. Who is it?

This is a heavy jumper known by the Latin name Hyllus diardi . I've seen too many female weight jumpers, but this one is a male.

Most female heavy jumpers are fatter, larger, and densely furred with a golden yellow to white color, so males tend to be dark with golden feathers.

In addition, males also have longer front legs than females. But the jaws of both are equally large and long, strong enough to tear a grasshopper much bigger than them to pieces.

Is the heavy jumper one of those rare arthropods? I do not think so. This species is often a pet, and it is widely traded in pet shops. But finding them in the wild is a different matter.