Small Grassland Katydid - Polichne sp.
Family TETTIGONIIDAE
This page contains pictures and information about the Small Grassland Katydids that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 30mm
- This katydid is relatively small in size. We found that some of them were in grass green colour, some were in dry grass brown colour. Otherwise they look the same.
- Females glue their small black eggs singly on grass stems.
- Pictures of the green katydid were taken in Mt Cotton grassland during mid summer. When we came close, it jumped and flied to a few meter away, then hide among grasses.
- The brown form pictures were taken in Alexandra Hill grassland during late summer. For other katydids, they are hardly seen flying. This Small Grassland Katydid will always fly away when disturbed.
- They have very long legs specially adapted walking between grasses.
- Reference:
- 1. Tettigoniidae Katydids - Insects of Townsville, Australia, by Graeme Cocks, 2007.
- 2. Grasshopper Country - the Abundant Orthopteroid Insects of Australia, D Rentz, UNSW Press, 1996, p112.
- 3. Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum, 2003, p198.
- 4. A Guide to the Katydids of Australia - David Rentz, CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2010, p168.
