Naskrecki's Bush Katydid - Ozphyllum naskreckii
Family TETTIGONIIDAE
This page contains pictures and information about Naskrecki's Bush Katydids that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Length 25mm, male
- The Naskrecki's Bush Katydid adults are small in size. They are different from other katydids that they have very soft body and round head. From reference information they are active during the night. They rest on leaves during the day and protected by their camouflage colours. They are most grass green in colour with black and whites narrow bands on head and knees.
- We found two Naskrecki's Bush Katydid nymphs on Nov 2011 in Brisbane Koala Bushland near the Tingalpa Creek. The habitat there is a narrow band of wet sclerophyll forest along the creek.
- The two nymphs were resting on board leaves near the top of small plants about a meter from ground. They were slow moving, slowly walked and jumped to another leaf when disturbed.
- We collected two. We believed they were in the last instars stage. One turned into an adult male the next day.
- Ozphyllum is a new genus of phaneropterine Tettigoniidae which was described on 2007. There are two species in this genus. Details please check the reference information listed at the page bottom..
- From reference information, this katydid is highly localized and lives in small isolated groups. Their eggs are disk-like and dark brown to black in colour. They are probably laid in cracks in bark.
- In the same place we found another two katydid nymphs. They are the same body shape but with different colours. We thought this could be the other colour form or the female nymphs.
- Reference:
- 1. Katydids - subfamily Phaneropterinae - lifeunseen.com, by Nick Monaghan.
- 2. A Guide to the Katydids of Australia - David Rentz, CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2010, p157.
- 3. Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: Ozphyllum, a new genus of Phaneropterine katydids with comments on its relationships and ecology (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae) - Rentz, D. C. F., Su, Y. N., Ueshima, N. 2007, Zootaxa 1629 57-68.
