Insect identification- grasshopper?
Dear Sir/Madam
I live in the UK and found this insect in the packaging of a USB hub, that said it was made in China. Is it possible you could identify this for me. Actual size is 6 cm long from nose to wing tip.
Many thanks
Pat Jones (Mrs) 57yrs
Hi Pat,
Your foundling bears an uncanny resemblance to a group of Katydids known as Cone-heads. She is a female, recognizeable by the large ovipositor on the tail end. Your story helps to explain how often exotic plants and animals often find themselves far from home, and if the conditions are right, they are able to prosper and multiply.
¶ Posted 06 January 2005 § ‡ ° Unkown cricket(?)
Hi Bug Man
This critter was photographed in the Big Bend area of West Texas in Dec 04. Can you ID this fellow? Long antennae suggest cricket to me and abdoman banding suggests Jeruselem, but not really, Can you help?
Thank very much
Phil Crosby
Hi Phil,
You have one of the Shield-back Katydids, more specifically Neobarrettia spinosa. Your species is a female recognizeable by her long ovipositor. They are predatory.
Ed. Note: (11/17/2005) Late Breaking Etomological Update
Greater Arid-land Katydid
Hey Bugman
I think you have a Common name mix up on your katydid page, the latin name is correct. The katydid that you guys called a Shield back Katydid’s common name is actually Greater Arid-Land Katydid, that belongs in the sub-family Listroscelinae (Predaceous Katydids). They are only two species of the genus Neobattettia in the US. The Greater Arid-land Katydid has a black outline on the pronotum, the Lesser Arid-Land Katydid’s pronotum is green.
Mike
¶ Posted 14 December 2004 § ‡ ° 4 bug pix, ID for spider?
Hi!
Sent some of these earlier, but got an error message so I’m trying again. First one is a caterpillar found on my passion flower vine, second one is a katydid in the basil. third is a spider (orb weaver?), the last is my favorite spider picture, great green and brown coloring. Can you ID the last one? Thanks! Love your site, found it when I was trying to ID a scary
bug which turned out to be a Jerusalem cricket.
Donna B.
San Diego
Hi Donna,
Thanks for the Katydid photo.
¶ Posted 06 November 2004 § ‡ ° Freaked out by a gigantic Green Grasshopper!
These were taken BEFORE we relocated the yucky thing!
As you can see about 10 minutes later the thing was back in our closed garage!
What is this and is it laying eggs?
Jaymie M In Irvine, CA
Hi Jaymie,
You have sent in photos of a Broad-Winged Katydid, Microcentrum rhombifolium, which will not lay eggs in your garage. They lay eggs on twigs. They are usually not noticed on plants since they are such good leaf mimics.
¶ Posted 31 August 2004 § ‡ ° Cricket?
I can’t tell you what a find you were on the internet. Today, I was photographing insects on milk weed. I found six different insects. These three are not in any of my books. I think this is a tree cricket of some kind.
They where in Orland Grassland in Orland Park Illinois.Thanks again… you are great!
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne,
This is a nymph stage of a Long Horned Grasshopper, probably the subfamily Conocephalinae, known as Meadow Grasshoppers by Borror and Delong and as Cone-headed Grasshoppers online. Our best guess might be Conocephalus dorsalis, a Short Winged Cone-headed Grasshopper which we found photographed as an adult female on Angelfire. Your photo is of a young female because of the ovipositor.
¶ Posted 03 June 2004 § ‡ ° What the hell is this Bug?
It is some type of dead and sqashed Orthopteran, probably a grasshopper. Though the body is very short, the long straight wings and long jumping legs indicate some type of grasshopper. Your coin is unfamiliar, and you gave no location, so any attempt at an exact species is impossible.
Update: (05/30/2006) Recently, upon receiving additional images of this Crested Katydid, we properly identified it on our Katydid page. This letter just arrived though.
I can ID both the coin and the ‘hopper on your 02/19/2004 entry It’s the crested Grasshopper (Alectoria superba family Tettigonidae) and is a native of central Australia as is the Australian 10 cent coin shown with it! Actually – no need as I see several other people have already done so ahead of me. I liked the site tho’
Sincerely
Martyn Robinson
Hi Martyn,
Thanks to your letter, we realized we still had an unidentified image of the Crested Katydid remaining on the grasshopper page. We have posted your letter and cleaned up our classification.
We have Fork Tailed Bush Katydids eating our Chryslar Imperial roses at the What’s That Bug? Headquarters.
¶ Posted 12 December 2003 § ‡ ° Big Green Bug?
We’ve just seen an unusual bug clinging for dear life on the side of my front steps. It is large, with a yellowish green body and legs (six of them), two long antennae, raised back and a flat head and about 2" long and 1" wide. Can you tell me what this might be? It didn’t move while we were looking at it or taking pictures of it. Thank you.
DJ
Dear DJ,
Where are the photos and where do you live? Without additional information, it could be many things. Katydids resemble green grasshoppers, and do have long antennae. Please send photos if you have them. I appologize for the delay in replying, but our website is down because of heavy traffic.
I just sent the photos in a separate e-mail. I live in North Carolina.
DJ
Hi DJ,
Thanks for the photos. Even though they are out of focus, I can see you have a male Katydid. The female has a long ovipositor for depositing her eggs on branches. Exact species is indeterminable in your photo, but it appears to be the True Katydid, Pterophylla camellifolia. The male is musical, producing sounds by rubbing the wing covers, which have rasps and ridges, together like a fiddle and bow. Those night sounds are used to attract a mate. They are sometimes attracted to lights at night.
¶ Posted 09 August 2003 § ‡ ° 
rss
I like This
