Zonocerus elegans is a common species of gaudy grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae. It is native to Madagascar and sub-Saharan African savannah, though mainly south of the equator. It has sluggish habits and in many, underdeveloped wings. Adults measure some 3 to 5 cm long, with males being smaller. Its life cycle is synchronized with rainfall.
The head is mainly black and the eyes orange, with the antennae placed between the latter. The antennae are banded orange and black, to which the generic name alludes. The shield (pronotum) is olive in colour, and the abdomen is banded in stark colours. Some do have long front (tegmina) and hind wings and can fly. Even these macropterous forms are poor flyers though. The pied nymphs are gregarious.
