Katydids, also known as bush crickets, belong to the Tettigoniidae Family and are closely related to grasshoppers. Around the world, apart from Antarctica, there are 6400 species known, of which 900 live in Australia.
This little critter is a Leafy Katydid that I found hanging on my bedroom curtains. It is the biggest katydid I have seen and I thought it may be unusual, however after consulting Google, I discovered that 6 cm is a normal adult size for this species, Paracaedicia serrata. Their life span is a year or less, with most being eaten by birds and small mammals before they reach adulthood. However in the tropics, some can live longer.
The wings are green and leaflike with a fine yellow streak along the edge. The hind legs are finely serrated. Leafy katydids inhabit rainforests and feed on leaves, grass, flower petals and sometimes fruit and aphids. When disturbed, they will remain motionless and can barely be distinguished from the surrounding leaves.
Eggs, looking like tiny seeds, are laid along the edges of leaves or along stems and when hatched, the nymphs will go through 5 successive moults before reaching maturity. The stridulous mating call is achieved by rubbing the front wings together.
So, next time you are gardening, see if you can find one of these cleverly camouflaged critters.
Text & Photo by Colwyn Campbell