deposited in early summer and measure 5-6 millimetres. For oviposition the female drills a cylinder-shaped duct up to 90 millimetres into the moist soil. The clutch is deposited at the bottom of the duct and contains up to 150 eggs. The duct is then plugged with a frothy substance to keep the eggs moist during the dry season. The initial 5 millimetres long nymphs hatch and leave the duct with the first heavy rainfall. During the next tree month they go through seven instar stages. In late summer and autumn the last moulting to become imagos takes place. The last instar stage resembles the imago in shape and appearance but is flightless. Systematics The species Valanga irregularis was first described by the British entomologist Francis Walker in 1870. The type specimen is still present in the collection of the Natural History Museum in London. The species name comes from the Javanese word "Valang" for "grasshopper". The Latin byname "irregularis" means "irregular" and indicates the diversity of colour within this species. There are two known subspecies: Valanga irregularis irregularis (Walker, 1870) Valanga irregularis signata (Sjöstedt, 1921) References Further reading Insects of Australia: A Textbook for Students and Research Workers, Band 2, Melbourne University Press, 1991, Grasshopper Country: The Abundant Orthopteroid Insects of Australia, UNSW Press, 1996, A Guide to Australian Grasshoppers and Locusts, Natural History Publications (Borneo), 2003, Acrididae Orthoptera of Australia Insects described in 1870