Katydid

I am hoping to post a few pictures showing some examples of insect camouflage. Here is shown a Katydid (Order Orthoptera- Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids, etc). Within the order Orthoptera, katydids are more closely related to crickets than to grasshoppers (in fact, in Britain katydids are known as bush crickets). Katydids are much like grasshoppers in their appearance and habits, but are easily distinguished by their antennae, which often exceed their body-length (unlike grasshoppers which have relatively short antennae).

I was impressed with the camouflage of this specimen. While some katydids are herbivorous, many are carnivores. I suspect this species is carnivorous, and is camouflaged for the purpose of hiding from prey as much as from its own predators.

In the previous post I mentioned that many insects, especially or the order Orthoptera, produce sound by stridulation (scraping one body-part against another). This is common in katydids, where only the male generally produces sound.