Caedicia sp. – Orange/mustard Morph

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Caedicia sp. – Orange/mustard Morph

Insects in the Caedicia genus are commonly known as Bush Katydids from the large Tettigonioidea family. These particular Katydids are normally green, so this orange/mustard form is unusual and not known to Dr David Rentz (Australian authority). However in the Mt. Merivale district 20 km (12 miles) east of Esperance it may not be so unusual, as I have also encountered an early nymph (not photographed) with the same colouration, although the wings were only partially developed.

Apparently there is much work still to be done on Caedicia, with as many species remaining undescribed as there are officially named and even these are in need of revision. These Katydids are herbivorous and the above were found crawling through Taxandria callistachys, an upright shrub that grows in large dominant colonies in and around swamps, and produces small clusters of white tea-tree like flowers for most of the year (see habitat shot).

The head and body length of the above female was around 2.5 cm (1”), but she had longer wings. A very small ovipositor (typical for these Katydids) can be seen in the hand-held photo of her, which is used by this group to lay eggs between layers within a leaf, or in rows along twigs, stems, or in the ground. The Katydid above was reluctant to fly, preferring to climb through the vegetation, but when she did, it was more of a flutter that did not carry her far. The insects were seen in December and January.

Further reading: A Guide to the Katydids of Australia by David Rentz.

Common Marauding Katydid - Metaballus frontalis

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Common Marauding Katydid - Metaballus frontalis

The katydid usually representing this species has predominantly green coloration (as here), but this orange/brown form is much less common, with the above the only one of this colour morph I have seen. Metaballus frontalis is recorded predominantly in near coastal heath from Kalbarri (north of Perth) to Israelite Bay (east of Esperance), with the above specimen discovered near a flood plain 20 km east of Esperance.

The colour of the above female katydid was most impressive giving the insect an exotic appearance, but it was still reasonably well camouflaged when on the ground amongst the plentiful flat leaved sedge. When disturbed it would flutter, rather than fly 2-3 metres, then drop quickly through the 60 cm (2’) high heath vegetation to the ground, to then remain motionless.

All Katydids belong to the Tettigoniidae family, which is further divided into Subfamilies, of which Metaballus frontalis is placed into Tettigoniinae, these are commonly called Shield-backed Katydids in reference to the shield-like plate (pronotum) behind their head. These insects are quite diverse in many respects and regarding their diet can be either predaceous or herbivorous, or both. Metaballus frontalis falls into the ‘both’ category by feeding on other insects and/or flowers.

The head and body length was a little over 3 cm (11/4”) in length, the ovipositor projecting from the rear was another 3 cm, making a total (ex antennae) of over 6 cm or 2.5”, with the wing length in between. From observations of other Metaballus spp, they seem to be most active during pleasantly warm days, but not during particularly hot or cold periods.

Further reading: A Guide to the Katydids of Australia, by David Rentz.

Speedy Micro Katydid - Microtettigonia tachys

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Speedy Micro Katydid - Microtettigonia tachys

As this species name suggests, these are the smallest of the Katydids from the large and highly diverse Tettigoniidae family. They can be reasonably common around fine stemmed sedge on the edge of swamps or flood plains, but due to their size are rarely seen unless accidentally caught when sweeping with a net. At first capture, thoughts turn to nymphs and with this in mind they are discarded or will themselves leap to freedom, until the tiny ovipositor is spotted to make you realise you are looking at very small adult.

The female of Microtettigonia tachys (excluding the antennae and ovipositor) is around 7 mm or just over ¼” in length, but despite their lack of size, they are excellent jumpers and are lost from view in an instant, rarely to be relocated. Because of this jumping ability, all above individuals are female (being easy to identify), but when the net is opened wide to view a possible smaller male, one jump and they are gone. I thought when producing this post that I did have one, but it turned out to be a nymph of other species, which can be tricky to separate.

These midget katydids are endemic to Australia and currently known from seven species, which are distributed over the southern portion of the country. Microtettigonia tachys is recorded from the heath coastal sand-plain from Mt Ragged to Albany. They are nocturnal and herbivorous, probably feeding on grasses, sedges and other low growing vegetation. Locally adults are found during summer and autumn.

Further reading: ‘A Guide to the Katydids of Australia’ by David Rentz.

Hemisaga lunodonta - South Coast Sluggish Katydid

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 South Coast Sluggish Katydid - Hemisaga lunodonta

Hemisaga lunodonta is a Katydid and therefore a member of the large Tettigonioidea family. It is a family with many subfamilies, of which Austrosaginae holds the Sluggish Katydids that are further divided into five genera. Although not difficult to separate species, they are to casual observation easily mistaken for each other, or even non-related Metaballus species, a predatory group (see http://esperancewildlife.blogspot.com/2009/08/marauding-katydid-metaballus-species.html).

The South Coast Sluggish Katydid can be distinguished from others, by its strong abdominal stripes and tubercles (small bumps) on the pronotum (top shield behind the head). There are other differences, but they are difficult to illustrate here. However the reference book ‘Tettigoniidae of Australia’ Volume 2 by Dr. David Rentz will answer most questions that are likely to be asked.

This species is recorded from the Nullarbor to the Stirling Range, making Esperance central to its distribution, however it is only recorded from a few coastal and near coastal locations, so is not particularly well known. The above were photographed from the outlet of Stockyard Creek (mostly blocked by a sandbar and only open after heavy rain), which is approximately 14 km (8.5 miles) east of Esperance.

The creek at this location has a narrow partly marshy section that is vegetated by round-leaf sedges on which Hemisaga lunodonta feeds (probably flowers and immature seeds), and only in this habitat have I seen this species. On most occasions I have visited at least one has been found, which likely indicates a healthy local population that probably extends further up the creek, although this area is inaccessible to anyone on foot. The surrounding dunes comprise dry calcareous sand, which are stabilised a little inland.

The first time I encountered these Katydids was when I was wading along the edge of the creek, checking out the local dragon and damselfly species. Three Katydids no more than 30 cm (12”) apart, were seemingly gesturing to me by waving their legs about from the top of the sedge and saying, hello, hello, hello as if rejoicing in the wonderment of life and keen to show it. However, I think their enthusiasm may have been abruptly cut short when the local White Faced Heron whose footprints I was following happened along next and no doubt also keen to sample life’s simple pleasures.

There is little gender size difference between adult Hemisaga lunodonta katydids, with both being around 3.5 cm (13/8") in head/body length, but the female has a very straight ovipositor also around 3.5 cm, which is probably used to lay her eggs deep in the sandy soil.  The lifespan of Hemisaga lunodonta spans the warmer months of the year from late spring to autumn, that is if they don’t get eaten first.  Although in their defence, they are well camouflaged as the in-situ photo above shows, because their strong white lines blend perfectly into their round stemmed habitat, so unless they move and catch the eye, are easily overlooked.

Elephantodeta nobilis – Noble Bush Katydid

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Noble Bush Katydid - Elephantodeta nobilis

Elephantodeta nobilis is a Katydid from the Tettigoniidae family and belongs to a group of similar looking large green species from several genera in the Phaneropterinae Subfamily. The Elephantodeta genus species are also known as Hump-backed Katydids and comprise two described species and apparently a number of undescribed ones. They are noted for living close to the ground and in dry habitats.

Locally, the Noble Bush Katydid although not common, is regularly seen during December and January, but it then either moves elsewhere or becomes increasingly secretive. It is usually active at night, but can be happened upon during the day and unless resting on a broad leaf plant, is quite obvious and I would imagine of great interest to birds. So maybe the successful Katydids that survive into autumn are at all times more discrete.

The head/body length of this species is around 3 cm (11/4”) in length, the wings extend another 2 cm or so, giving an overall length (excluding antennae) of 5 cm or 2”. The female’s ovipositor is strongly curved and wide and thought to be used to insert their eggs via cracks, under the bark of food plants.

For more information about this and other species, please refer to ‘A Guide to the Katydids of Australia’ by David Rentz.

Phasmodes ranatriformis - Zaprochilinae - Tettigoniidae

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Phasmodes ranatriformis - Zaprochilinae - Tettigoniidae

Despite looking like a Stick Insect, Phasmodes ranatriformis is actually a Katydid, but this was not my first impression and my photographs were casually filed under the former classification. It was not until recently when sorting through the phasmids (Stick Insects) that I began to get second thoughts. What I had considered to be the tail end of an elongated body, was really a straight ovipositor (used for laying eggs), also the head was different and could easily bend forward, plus the antennae were too long for local stick insects. So I sent a few photos to Dr David Rentz who confirmed my suspicions and kindly identified them as Phasmodes ranatriformis.

These katydids are around 10 cm in length (head/body/ovipositor) excluding antennae and legs, so are similar in size and appearance to many stick insects, plus they behave like one by slow deliberate movements. This unusual group of katydids include the much smaller Kawanaphila species http://esperancewildlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/kawanaphila-species-zaprochilinae.html and the winged Windbalea viride http://esperancewildlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/green-westwind-katydid-windbalea-viride.html, which are largely restricted to the southern regions of Western Australia and characterised by the mouth-parts, designed to feed on flowers, pollen and nectar.

A number of individual Phasmodes ranatriformis have been photographed and all during November and December, which may just reflect the blossom they feed on at this time of year. However being wingless they must reside permanently in the white sand, coastal, Banksia heath, but are less noticeable at other times. The plants on which they were found, include the Kangaroo Paw, Anigozanthos rufus, but more commonly the long flowering Chittick, Lambertia inermis (both detailed in my Esperance Wildflowers Blog).

Another feature of this particular katydid is their body color, which is either green or brown, but is not dependent on gender. However with other species, color variation may be related to the time of year, green being dominant during spring and early summer, and brown during the dry summer/autumn period. This may result in better camouflage, plus determine available nutrition, but whatever the reason, color differences are not uncommon amongst Katydids.

Psacadonotus species - Tettigonioidea

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Psacadonotus sp. - probably P. kenkulun

These katydids are not well known and currently Psacadonotus has only 8 species, of which some are represented from only a handful of individuals and one northern species by a single insect. They mainly inhabit the southern heathland of WA and SA although they are not found on the intervening Nullarbor. In the Esperance district there are three known species, Psacadonotus psithyros recorded west of Ravensthorpe, Psacadonotus serratimerus near Mt Ragged, and Psacadonotus kenkulun that is recorded just a few kilometres away from my sightings and is quite likely the same. The Psacadonotus katydids belong to an interesting group that are flightless and predatory on other invertebrates. The head/body length (excluding the ovipositor) of the illustrated species above was around 5 cm or 2 inches.

Interestingly, most collected Psacadonotus insects are male, whilst all the ones I have encountered were female and of which, two were laying eggs and had their ovipositors deep into the soil, a situation according to David Rentz that is rarely seen. I would imagine the local very deep, fine grained white sands are ideal for their egg-laying activities, I also slash walking tracks and periodically burn pockets of vegetation, both of which provide many small open areas these katydids need and apparently seek. Despite being flightless, these insects do have long legs that are used to walk rather than hop, but they can appear and disappear remarkably quickly, so no doubt could travel a hundred or so metres to reach ideal habitat, likewise the juveniles could disperse the same way, as I have not seen them either.

Being both a grazer and a predator, I would think their most productive food sites would be low-lying areas around receding ephemeral swamps (locally very widespread), where herbaceous vegetation and small invertebrates are more common. So would suspect they spend most of their time around the swamps and flood plains, with the pregnant females visiting the well-drained sandy hillocks to lay their eggs. This could possibly explain my unusual female observations.

The timing of their appearance in this elevated sandy habitat also coincided with rainfall or high humidity and was noted during August, then again at the end of February to the latter part of May. They were not seen in Winter or during the height of Summer.

My thanks to Dr David Rentz for identification.

Meadow Katydid - Conocephalus species

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Meadow Katydid - Conocephalus sp.

These katydids were originally called Longhorned Grasshoppers although they are not even closely related and actually belong to different suborders. The most obvious differences between katydids and grasshoppers are the katydids have long antennae (half to several times their body length) and the females have a long egg-laying ovipositor; whereas grasshoppers have short antennae (less than 30 segments) and the females do not possess an ovipositor.

The above Meadow Katydid is probably an undescribed species or an unusual color morph of a known one, but the actual insect (dead) is required to be certain. As I try not to interfere with wildlife I refuse to collect and kill them for any reason, therefore I must live with a certain level of ignorance if identification cannot be gained from a photograph, which to me is not a bad exchange.

The above Conocephalus species was photographed in early April, which is almost the same time of year as my record of Upolu Meadow Katydid - Conocephalus upoluensis http://esperancewildlife.blogspot.com/2009/08/upolu-meadow-katydid-conocephalus.html, size was also similar to that species.

Upolu Meadow Katydid - Conocephalus upoluensis

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Upolu Meadow Katydid - Conocephalus upoluensis

The Conocephalus genus is apparently still very much a work in progress with many species undescribed. The last time the Subfamily Conocephalinae was comprehensively reviewed, was in 1891 by Redtenbacker when collections were much smaller and many species unknown. Dr David Rentz has done a considerable amount of research into this group and even after describing a number of new species, admits there are many pieces of the taxonomical jigsaw yet to be fitted together. Conocephalus upoluensis was initially only thought to exist on Norfolk Island, but in his most recent book "Grasshopper Country" states this species is the most common of the Meadow Katydids and personally identified the one in the above photos as the same species, which were taken in WA near Esperance. Yet if you check the internet, there are many references (some from highly authoritative organisations) that still regard the Upolu Meadow Katydid in Australia as having a solely Norfolk Island distribution, which I suspect only reflects the current confusion over the identification surrounding this genus. Upolu is an Island of Samoa, which I presume was where this katydid was first encountered, or thought to originate.

There is currently around 30 Australian Conocephalus species that are also known as Longhorned Grasshoppers, although they are only distantly related to grasshoppers, so not a good common name and Meadow Katydids is far more applicable. However these katydids apparently consume grasses, sedges and broadleaf sedge like plants. Around Esperance besides the Stipa (Speargrass) species, there are few native grasses, but we do have many sedges and sedge-like plants from which they presumably feed, unless they have developed a taste for introduced grasses of which due to farming we are resplendent.

This Meadow Katydid is not very large with a head/body length of around 2 cm (1"), but with the much longer wings, an additional 50% or more can be added to it physical appearance. Whether I have just overlooked these katydids I cannot say, but I have not found them particularly common and as the male above was recorded in late March, it is possible with their large wings, they fly in on the strong easterly winds that prevail during summer.

My thanks to Dr David Rentz for identification.