New Zealand’s largest lowland grasshopper, it’s cryptic (hard to see) amongst the stones and boulders of its specialised habitat, using camouflage as a defence against predators. Males (18-22mm) are much smaller than females (38-44mm). Like many NZ grasshoppers, they’re flightless (wings are around 1-2mm). Three colour morphs are known (or were known until 2025 when a pink variant was found): ‘Grey’ (~60%), ‘Orange’ (~40%) and ‘Black'( <0.5%). It lives for ~ 2 years. Eggs are laid from early summer to mid-autumn. Adult females probably lay two egg batches a season, each containing between 20–32 eggs. Most nymphs emerge in mid-summer, which seems to indicate the eggs require a winter period in order to develop fully. The nymphs then overwinter, often surviving temperatures well below 0°C, and reach adulthood the following summer.

It’s found only in the Tekapo, Pukaki and Ohau river catchments in the Mackenzie Basin, from Lake Benmore in the south to the upper Fork Stream in the north.