Katydid

Description:

Insects in the family Tettigoniidae Krauss, 1902, are commonly called Katydids or Bush-crickets. Part of the suborder Ensifera, it's the only family in the superfamily Tettigonioidea. They are also known as Long-horned Grasshoppers, although they are more closely related to crickets and weta than to grasshoppers. Many tettigoniids exhibit mimicry and camouflage, commonly with shapes and colors similar to leaves. Tettigoniids may be distinguished from grasshoppers by the length of their filamentous antennae, which may exceed their own body length, while grasshoppers' antennae are always relatively short and thickened. Katydids don't have ears on their heads, like humans, but instead they have an ear called a 'tympanum' on each front leg, just below the knee. Up close, this looks like a hole in their leg. The diet of tettigoniids includes leaves, flowers, bark, and seeds, but many species are exclusively predatory, feeding on other insects, snails or even small vertebrates such as snakes and lizards. Some are considered pests by commercial crop growers, but they also help pollinate some flowers.