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Katydid nymph from Italy

On · Category: Katydids Tagged With: · 1 Comment

Subject: Bug in the Veneto
Location: Lozzo Atestino (PD), Italy
June 16, 2013 10:55 am
My friend who lives in Lozzo Atestino (PD), Italy, has several of these gorgeous cricket-looking thingies at his house in the Colli Euganei. He is trying to learn what they are and what they might eat (one hopes not grape vines nor olive trees). Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Signature: Anna

Katydid nymph

Katydid nymph

Dear Anna,
This is a Katydid, a group of insects classified with crickets in the suborder Ensifera.  We did a superficial search and could not come up with any matching images of this colorful specimen.  We will try to contact Piotr Naskrecki, a Katydid expert, to see if he can identify the species, however, we suspect he is out of the office on a collecting trip as he did not respond to our last few identification requests.

Piotr Naskrecki responds
Hi Daniel,
This is a male of Barbitistes sp. (Phaneropterinae). They are quite polymorphic and range from light green to nearly black in their coloration. Hard to say which species without being able to see the cerci, though.
Cheers,
Piotr

Comment
After the email from Piotr Naskrecki I found this link (http://www.unipd.it/esterni/wwwfitfo/barbitistes.htm) showing the species “Barbitistes vicetinus”, which appears to be common exactly in Veneto. See also a picture here: http://www.unipd.it/esterni/wwwfitfo/immagini/Barbitistes%20Forma%20tipica%20maschio.jpg. Maybe you could send the first link to Anna. The page describes what they eat, which is what Anna wanted to know.
Ciao,
Saverio

Thanks Saverio

No problem. I am a lawyer and I know nothing about bugs, which scare the hell out of me. For the same reason, I am fascinated by any kind of bug/spider. So, in case you need help for Italian-related questions, let me know: while I am no entomologist, I love to investigate …

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Shieldback Katydid from Crete

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Subject: Large bug in Crete
Location: Greece (Crete)
June 11, 2013 1:12 am
Hi,
Interesting site you’ve got there. Would be great if you had an easy way for visitors to narrow down the search by themselves based on different criteria, but I realize that it’s not that easy.
I’ve always been wondering what bug I saw in Greece (Crete), long time ago. It was quite impressive, I guess it was about 10 cm long and it was just deposing eggs on a branch.
I hope you can shed a light on that, but even if you can’t, feel free to use the picture for whatever purpose.
Best regards and success with the site.
Luc
Signature: Luc

Shieldbacked Katydid

Shieldbacked Katydid

Hi Luc,
We believe this Longhorned Orthopteran is a Shield-Backed Katydid in the subfamily Tettigoniinae, but we have not been able to locate any matching images online that might provide a species name.  The swordlike ovipositor is an anatomical feature of the female.  We will try to contact Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki to see if he can provide a species name for you.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Orthopteran from Minnesota

On · Category: Katydids · 1 Comment

Subject: It’s huge!
Location: Minneapolis Minnesota
May 30, 2013 4:17 pm
I found this in Minneapolis Minnesota in the grass please tell me what it is I am struggling to find info.
Signature: Zach

What's That Orthopteran???

What’s That Orthopteran???

Hi Zach,
We wish you had a photo of the back or dorsal surface of this impressive Orthopteran.  We believe it is some type of Katydid.  We will check with Piotr Naskrecki who specializes in Katydids.  We are postdating your image to go live June 10 since we will be out of the office and we like daily posts to occur on our site.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Katydid Nymph

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Subject: Assassin Bug?
Location: Torrance, southern California, U.S.A.
May 25, 2013 10:17 pm
Found this in my front yard in the jasmine, it is very small (less than an inch) and I snapped a picture of it, then asked my friends what they thought it was. It has sparked an argument and we have decided that it is probably some sort of assassin bug, but I have perused pages and pages of photos and have not seen anything that looks like this. Do you know?
Signature: Erica

Katydid Nymph

Katydid Nymph

Hi Erica,
We are so happy to hear that the identification of this insect has sparked a dialog as to its identity.  It is not an Assassin Bug, but rather an immature Katydid.  Adult Katydids often resemble large green grasshoppers with long antennae.  We are postdating your submission to go live in early June since we will be away from the office and we want daily updates to our site.

Thank you so much! I’m glad to hear that it’s not an Assassin Bug and I really like Katydids. By the way, I love the site and use it frequently, keep up the good work. Thanks again!

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Male Central Texas Leaf Katydid Nymph

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Subject: Green 6 legged insect with 2 wings and long antanae
Location: San Antonio Texas
May 21, 2013 3:05 pm
I’ve never seen this insect before
Signature: Marcus Guerra

Male Truncated True Katydid Nymph

Male Central Texas Leaf Katydid Nymph

Hi Marcus,
We believe this is a male Central Texas Leaf Katydid nymph, Paracyrtophyllus robustus, also known as the Truncated True Katydid.  We identified it on BugGuide.  Most of our photos are of the red form, so it is nice to receive your photo of the green form.  BugGuide notes:  “‘Red Katydid’ – vernacular name in Texas. Isolated individuals are green, whereas outbreak individuals are mostly pink.”  This must not be an outbreak year.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Copiphora hastata: Conehead Katydid from Costa Rica

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Subject: Spear bearer
Location: Costa Rica
May 19, 2013 2:36 pm
We saw different of these insects. Are these females of Cophiphora?
Signature: fred from belgium

Katydid

Conehead Katydid

Hi Fred,
We will contact Piotr Naskrecki to get assistance with this female Katydid from Costa Rica.  The “cone” on the head does seem to be consistant with Cophiphora photos online, including these on National Geographic Stock and on FlickR.

Conehead Katydid

Conehead Katydid

Piotr Naskrecki discovers new species of Katydid in Costa Rica:  Copiphora hastata
Hi Daniel,
This is actually one of the species that I discovered and described, Copiphora hastata. These wonderful animals use their long ovipositor to lay eggs among dead leaf fronds at the base of palm trees.
Cheers,
Piotr

 

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Katydid from Malaysia

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Subject: Katydid Identification
Location: Tapah Hills, Perak, Malaysia
May 14, 2013 10:55 am
Hi Bugman,
here is a picture of a katydid found in Malaysia, last April 2013. It secrets an irritating fluid that you can see on the picture. Unable to find a match on internet, can you help me ?
Signature: Bernard

Katydid from Malaysia

Katydid from Malaysia

Hi Bernard,
We did locate a matching image on Flickr, but it was not identified either.  We contacted Piotr Naskrecki from Harvard to see if he is able to assist with a species or genus identification.  Your comment about the irritating fluid is interesting.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Armoured Bush Cricket from Kenya: Eugasteroides loricatus

On · Category: Katydids, Potato Bugs, Wetas and Parktown Prawns · Add Comment

Subject: Strange bug in Kenya
Location: Machakos, Kenya
May 4, 2013 6:32 pm
During a trip near Machakos, Kenya this bug joined me in my sleeping bag. Even the locals didn’t know what it was. The Kenyan coin in the picture is larger than a quarter but not quite as large as a half dollar coin. If you have any clue what this bug is I would love to know!
Signature: Nathan

Possibly Armored Bush Cricket

Possibly Armoured Bush Cricket

After doing some further research myself I think this is some kind of armored ground cricket but I have no idea what type.

Hi Nathan,
We believe this might be an Armoured Bush Cricket in the subfamily Hetrodinae.  There is a very similar looking insect pictured on a stamp from Kenya that is reproduced on the Insect Stamps of Kenya page.  Encyclopedia of Life has another member of the family that does not look like your individual.  The Koringkriek pictured on ISpot also looks quite similar.  We also have a photo of a Koringkriek in our archive.  We will attempt to contact Piotr Naskrecki, a Katydid expert, to see if he can provide a species name.  

Koringkriek perhaps

Koringkriek perhaps

Piotr Naskrecki provides an identification
Hi Daniel,
This is Eugasteroides loricatus (Hetrodinae), a species common in East Africa.
Cheers,
Piotr

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination