[6][5] They are variably colored in green, brown, black, reddish or yellowish, and have wings that usually are conspicuously blue (T. collaris and T. descampsi) or red (T. cristatus) in flight.

[5][7] The gregarious and flightless nymphs have bright aposematic colors and are presumed to be toxic;[8][9] a researcher who tasted one noted that it was very bitter, similar to a monarch butterfly.

[10] These locally abundant grasshoppers inhabit a wide range of habitats, from rainforests to dry open areas and lowlands to highlands.

[7][11] Both adults and nymphs feed on many types of plants and decaying matter, and (especially A. collaris) are sometimes regarded as pests because of the considerable damage they may cause to agricultural crops, tree plantations and ornamental plants.

[7][11] Tropidacris and the closely related Titanacris form the tribe Tropidacrini, but the latter genus, which generally is restricted to forest canopies of South and Central America, is not as well known.