Leaf Katydid #3

a leaf katydid, Phaneropterinae, at Kerio Valley, Kenya, Dec. 2014. Photo © by Michael Plagens

At lights in upper Kerio Valley, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Kenya, December 2014. Males have long wings and clasping-type genetalia.

Katydids when upon a shrub or tree are virtually invisible due to their great resemblance to the leaves themselves. Note the very long, flagella-like antennae: also known as long-horn grasshoppers as a result. Food is mostly leaves and buds. The specimen shown here is a male and is a capable flier. The leaf katydids are more slender and usually have longer wings than true katydids, Pseudophyllinae.

Tettigoniidae -- Katydid Family
Phaneropterinae (subfamily)

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Kenya Natural History

Copyright Michael J. Plagens. Page created 29 Oct. 2015.