Subject: Colorful red legged grasshopper/katydid
Geographic location of the bug: Ivans, UT
Date: 12/31/2018
Time: 10:45 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: We took this pic 9/23/2017 in Ivans, Utah (aka St. George, Utah)
It stayed long enough for me to take a picture but flew off right after. Tried to find anything similar but to no avail.
Never seen anything like this before! Absolutely stunning!!
How you want your letter signed: Megan Silcox
Dear Megan,
Our editorial staff has returned to our home office and despite the holiday, we decided to make a new posting, so your identification request is our first of the New Year. This is a Western Bush Katydid in the genus Insara, and in our opinion, it most resembles the Creosote Bush Katydid, Insara covilleae, which is pictured on BugGuide, though BugGuide does not report that species for Utah. The related Elegant Bush Katydid, Insara elegans, is reported from Utah on BugGuide, but its markings appear different. We are confident with our genus identification but would prefer that a true expert weigh in on the species. Happy New Year.