Alien like Bug
December 31, 2009
I do not know what this is. It is not something I have seen before. It surely resembles to one of those alien creatures in sci–fi films than an earthling.
Appreciate some help to identify this fellow.
Refer below for more info.
http://kirigalpoththa.blogspot.com/2009/11/aliens-in-garden.html
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kirigalpoththa/AliensInTheGarden#
N/A
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dear N/A,
Other than believing this to be a Longhorned Orthopteran or Katydid, we cannot provide a species or genus. We are going to contact Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki who has assisted us in the past in the hopes he can provide more information.
Response from Piotr Naskrecki
Hi Daniel,
The insect in the photo is a nymph of Cymatomerini (Pseudophyllinae). The
only genus of this tribe known from Sri Lanka is Sathrophyllia, which of
course does not mean that it cannot be something else (the orthopteran fauna
of Sri Lanka is virtually unknown.)
Cheers,
Piotr
I am familiar with Piotr Naskrecki’s fine work on Orthoptera and amazing Orthoptera Species File but for him to say that “the orthopteran fauna of Sri Lanka is virtually unknown” is to display a staggering ignorance of the literature on Sri Lankan Orthoptera and in particular the work of George Morrison Reid Henry (1891-1983), Assistant in Systematic Entomology of the Colombo Museum (later Department of National Museums), Sri Lanka (1913-1945), collecting efforts and publications. It is true that there are no convenient handbooks or field guides to Sri Lankan Orthoptera, but I would bet that Sri Lanka’s Orthoptera fauna is better known than any other comparable tropical Asian country. There are excellent series of identified specimens in the Natural History Museum (London) and there used to be a good reference collection also in Colombo, also in Washington, D.C.
Thanks for your perspective on this.