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Pollen feeding katydid

Zaprochilus australis

Description:

Insect, grey, forewings forming protective sleeve for rear wings, at angle to body. Gives impression of forked twig.

Habitat:

Found on fence near garden bed, paddocks & bush behind.

Notes:

Approx. 80mm in length

1 Species ID Suggestions

MartinL
MartinL 12 years ago
Pollen feeding katydid
Zaprochilus australis Zaprochilus australis | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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16 Comments

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 8 years ago

Entered scientific name for you.

BrettKelly
BrettKelly 12 years ago

Looks like you guys have solved it. A katydid it is. Thanks for the info and links.

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 12 years ago

Ah martinl ! - knew you'd know what it was. For me, it will be "the Ned Kelly katydid"

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 12 years ago

Check this:
http://bunyipco.blogspot.com/2008/05/pol...

good spotting !

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 12 years ago

It's definitely something in the water martin.
Brett can you hold it until it gets an ID ?

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 12 years ago

a katydid with a bit of mimicry, perhaps ?? - will research ..

MartinL
MartinL 12 years ago

please note my error in the earliest post; ornithoptera (=bird - wing) is a butterfly. I intended to write orthoptera (grasshopper)

MartinL
MartinL 12 years ago

Brett, I will go out on a limb here, (or maybe just a a stick.) Phasmatodea is a small group with only 104 described species in Australia and not even one of them like this. I suggest it is orthopteran, but I know less about these. Leaf litter models of mimicry is more likely in this group and the hind legs...hmmm... I do think so.

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 12 years ago

What a fantastic looking thing.
Is this a Tasmanian invention?
Good spotting Brett.

BrettKelly
BrettKelly 12 years ago

Added new more complete photo. Legs in this one look more like an ornithoptera, but when I first spotted it they were almost straight out
behind.

Apple
Apple 12 years ago

Wow, how cool. It does look like both. Interested to see what its identification is.

BrettKelly
BrettKelly 12 years ago

I entereds some data in an online key, and it came back with the same two options. You don't normally confuse stick insects and hoppers, but it seems to be somewhere inbetween. That's why I was interested in an ID.

Harsha Singh
Harsha Singh 12 years ago

It's a beautiful insect Brett. Don't you have a complete picture?

MartinL
MartinL 12 years ago

I'm not sure if its a phasmid (stick insect) or an ornithoptera (grasshopper). It doesnt seem to fit either group very well. How odd this is!!! What do they put in your water?

BrettKelly
Spotted by
BrettKelly

Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Spotted on Jan 8, 2012
Submitted on Jan 21, 2012

Spotted for Mission

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