Crayola Katydid

[Zelda]

people send in photos to "What's That Bug?" for help in identification...

this one came from our neck of the woods, but I've never seen anything like it... it's cool:



Insect from Belize…
Location: Mountain Pine Ridge in Cayo, Belize
July 28, 2010 10:21 am

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/category/katydids/

[collyk]

Hey! That's our picture! LOLOL My friend took that in Mountain Pine Ridge last week. We've been trolling the internet to get an ID. Still not convinced it is a Crayola Katydid and much prefer our own name 'Disco Bug'.

[Zelda]

but... but... they consulted an expert!



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We are going to check with international Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki to see if he recognizes your species.

That is wonderful, thank you so much. Will you please let me know what you find out? I’ve never seen such a beautiful colorful bug !

Hi Daniel,
This is a female of the Crayola katydid, Moncheca pretiosa (Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae), one of the few katydids that probably uses chemical defenses. Although this species has not yet been tested, its closest relative, a similarly colored genus Vestria, produces volatile pyrazines that are known to act as repellants to monkeys and birds.
Cheers, Piotr

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[collyk]

Yes I know Zelda. We've been doing the research. It still doesn't mean we're entirely convinced although someone told us yesterday that there are great variations amongst the females and that colours may change when they swarm, so who knows. We're happier calling it the 'Disco Bug'.