katydid with leaf-like wings
January 31, 2010
The photo of the dead leaf mimic got me thinking about the katydid I found in my backyard in northwestern New Jersey last August. Its wings have that amazing vein-pattern of leaves. One can see how, with just a little nip and tuck from natural selection, the dead leaf mimics evolve. Thank you for your wonderful work.
jeannie
newton, new jersey
Hi Jeannie,
Thank you for your kind letter, and also providing such a detailed image of a Bush Katydid in the genus Scudderia. We believe this is a female Scudderia fasciata, the Treetop Bush Katydid, based on images posted to BugGuide. We will see if Piotr Naskrecki is able to provide a confirmation of that identification.
Correction thanks to Piotr Naskrecki
HI Daniel,
I think that this is Scudderia furcata, rather than S. fasciata (which usually has more black coloring on its wings.)
Cheers,
Piotr