Ant mimic katydid

Description:

A cute little katydid nymph about 15mm long which looked very much like some of the ant species in the area. A distinctive dark red head, finely banded white on black thorax, shiny black abdomen and femurs and brown tibia and tarsi.

Habitat:

Open sclerophyll eucalyptus reserve.

Notes:

This is a clever ploy on behalf of the Gumleaf Katydid. At this stage in life they are the same size as some of the native ant species so why not look just like them as they mostly have formidable stings. http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Torbia+vir...