Morman cricket maybe
Location: outside of Pine, AZ USA
August 16, 2010 10:50 pm
Hey I was hiking in the pines around the mogollon rim near Pine, AZ USA. Between 4000 and 5000 feet above sea level. Found this one under a rock. About an inch and a half long. Figure its some type of katydid but not too sure.
Jeremy in AZ
Mormon Cricket
Hi Jeremy,
Based on BugGuide imagery, we believe you are correct that this is a Mormon Cricket, Anabrus simplex, or at least one of the Shieldbacked Katydids in the family Tettigoniinae. The long swordlike ovipositor indicates she is a female. We will verify this identification with Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki.
Mormon Cricket
¶ Posted 17 August 2010 § ‡ ° Light Green hopper
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
August 15, 2010 7:16 am
Kids in our Church are finding these Light green insects that look like a grasshopper or cricket of some sort; Could you please help us to identify them.
The picture was taken in my office where we found this one sitting on top of a small cactus plant on my desk.
Kids at Victory Baptist Church
Immature Katydid
Dear Kids at Victory Baptist Church,
This is an immature Katydid. The undeveloped wings indicate it is immature. Katydids are similar to grasshoppers, but their most obvious physical difference is the antennae. Katydids have long antennae and are classified as the Longhorned Orthopterans, and Grasshoppers with their shorter antennae are classified as Shorthorned Orthopterans. We will contact an expert on Katydids, Piotr Naskrecki, to see if he recognizes your specimen.
Correction from Piotr Naskrecki
Hi Daniel,
This is not a nymph, but an adult male of Leptophyes punctatissima (Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae).
Cheers,
Piotr
Ed. Note: In some species of Katydids, the wings do not fully develop even as adults.
¶ Posted 15 August 2010 § ‡ ° Very strange yellow bug
Location: San Antonio, Texas
August 13, 2010 11:12 pm
I saw this bug on the garage door of a house while visiting Texas during the summer. Personally I thought it looked like a strange mix of an albino cockroach and a spider, and the largest bug I have ever seen outside of a zoo. It must have been just a little smaller than my hand. I’ve asked many other people but they can’t seem to figure it out, would love to know.
Thanks, Katy
Central Texas Leaf Katydid
Really Katy did you never see your namesake bug, a Katydid?
We believe this to be a Central Texas Leaf Katydid or Truncated True Katydid, Paracyrtophyllus robustus. According to BugGuide, they: “Feed on Oaks. During outbreaks, they are known for defoliating Post Oak (Quercus stellata) and plateau live oak (Quercus fusiformis).“ The ovipositor jutting from under the wing tips indicates that this is a female. The typical coloration of this species if green (see BugGuide), and they are sometimes red (see BugGuide), but yellow is a new color variation for us. For that reason, we are going to contact Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki for verification of the identification and to get his opinion on the frequency of this color variation.
Piotr Naskrecki confirms identification
Hi Daniel,
The yellow katydid on your website does indeed look like Paracyrtophyllus robustus. Yellow and pink morphs are not uncommon.
Cheers,
Piotr
¶ Posted 14 August 2010 § ‡ ° Green thing!?
Location: London
August 10, 2010 8:38 am
Hi there,
This thing appeared in my bathroom and has been chilling on the ceiling for the last few days, can’t for the life of me figure out what it is, seems pretty cool though, the images show it has some sort of hoop on it’s tail – I’d love to know what it is – I live in London so perhaps it’s not too exotic …
Marc
Long Horned Orthopteran
Hi Gene,
This is a Long Horned Orthopteran in the suborder Ensifera, and we believe it may be in the Cricket family Gryllidae. We are going to contact Piotr Naskrecki, and expert in Orthopterans, to get his input.
Piotr Naskrecki responds
Hi Daniel,
This is a male of the oak katydid (or bush cricket, as they call them in the UK), Meconema thalassinum (Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae.) This species has been introduced to the US, and is now very common in New England.
Cheers,
Piotr
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the lightning fast response, very strange that I opened my bathroom door and the poor fella had died and was on the floor …
Anyway, thanks again – keep up the good work!
Marc
¶ Posted 10 August 2010 § ‡ ° Type of Grasshopper
Location:Cheyenne, WY
August 3, 2010 9:46 pm
Thank you for looking at my photos. Could you tell me what kind of grasshopper is in my photos? He’s about 3” long and has what looks like a stinger coming out of his backside. We live in Cheyenne, WY.
Daniel Wright
Sword Bearing Conehead
Hi Daniel,
The “stinger” that resulted in the common name of Sword Bearing Conehead is actually the ovipositor of the female. The Sword Bearing Conehead, Neoconocephalus ensiger, is a Katydid and you can read more about it on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 07 August 2010 § ‡ ° 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
huge outer space bug
Location: Austin Texas at Lake Travis
July 23, 2010 12:11 pm
I need help… while camping in Texas we came across this huge grass hopper type bug with packs on it’s back, weird mouth, legs and everything else…. I just got to find out…
Bug Quest
Greater Arid Land Katydid
Dear Bug Quest,
This Greater Arid Land Katydid, Neobarrettia spinosa, is in the same order as a Grasshopper, Orthoptera, but then their taxonomies diverge. Katydids are Long Horned Orthopterans in the suborder Ensifera and the family Tettigoniidae. The Spiny Predatory Katydids in the genus Neobarrettia are “voraciously omnivorous” according to BugGuide, which also indicates: “When approached, said to sometimes threaten and attack, may bite and draw blood.“ We are rather fond of the less commonly used but colorfully descriptive name Red Eyed Devil.
¶ Posted 24 July 2010 § ‡ ° Green bug
June 12, 2010
Green bug
Found this on my patio in Abilene Texas.
Michael
Abilene, Texas
Greater Arid Land Katydid
Hi Michael,
This is a predatory Katydid in the genus Neobarrettia. We believe it is the Greater Arid Land Katydid, Neobarrettia spinosa, sometimes called the Red Eyed Devil according to BugGuide. This is a gregarious omnivorous species that is found in Texas and a few neighboring states. We would not discount that it might be the smaller White Eyed Devil, Neobarrettia victoriae, which is also pictured on BugGuide. The individual in your photo is a female based on her long ovipositor that might be mistaken for a stinger. These aggressive Katydids are capable of biting and drawing blood.
¶ Posted 13 June 2010 § ‡ ° 
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