KATYDID NEW ZEALAND BUSH CRICKET

Katydid - New Zealand Bush Cricket Sitting On a Camelia Bud
Katydid are rarely seen as its normally green colour provides excellent camouflage. Katydids, crickets and grasshoppers are in the same family. Notice the ear hole in the front legs below the elbow and the tiny white mite on its back leg ? Katydids are however more closely related to the cricket. Their antennae are often two to three times the length of their bodies and this feature helps them to navigate in the dark. Katydid are almost exclusively nocturnal to avoid predators such as birds. They lay their eggs in many places including bark of trees, the soil and in stems of plants. The nymphs are very similar to the adults but are smaller and the wings are not fully developed. The nymph goes through several moults until developed into an adult.