Sigaus australis is the most common alpine grasshopper found in New Zealand. It can be found in the lower half of the South Island, from the Otago and Canterbury Region. S. australis was described in 1897 by Frederick Wollaston Hutton. Like all of New Zealand sub-alpine and alpine grasshoppers S. australis has a 2 or 3 years life cycle. The eggs must ‘overwinter’ before they will hatch. Hoppers are found throughout the year, and adult grasshoppers can be found throughout the New Zealand summer between December and April. The adult S. australis do not overwinter. The genus Sigaus is endemic to New Zealand.