Crayola Katydid from Belize

bugman

July 29th, 2010 at 9:34 am

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Insect from Belize…
Location: Mountain Pine Ridge in Cayo, Belize
July 28, 2010 10:21 am
We think it’s a sort of locust, what do you think? We were fascinated with this bug! I took this picture on Thursday, July 22, 2010. Thanks for your help!
Sandie Young

Crayola Katydid from Belize

Hi Sandie,
This appears to be a Katydid, though we sometimes mistake other Long Horned Orthopterans in the suborder Ensifera for Katydids. We are going to check with international Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki to see if he recognizes your species.

That is wonderful, thank you so much. Will you please let me know what you find out? I’ve never seen such a beautiful colorful bug !

Hi Daniel,
This is a female of the Crayola katydid, Moncheca pretiosa (Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae), one of the few katydids that probably uses chemical defenses. Although this species has not yet been tested, its closest relative, a similarly colored genus Vestria, produces volatile pyrazines that are known to act as repellants to monkeys and birds.
Cheers,
Piotr

Wow Piotr,
That is wonderful. The Crayola Katydid sure has a fitting name for such a colorful Katydid, and those of us who grew up with the 64 pack of crayons appreciate the significance.

How cool is that!! I love his name. We were calling him the disco bug Thanks for the info ! What a great website you have !
Sandie