Elegant Bush Katydid
Insara elegans
This katydid was inhabiting a Desert Broom (Baccharis sarothroides) along Camp Creek east of Carefree, Maricopa Co., Arizona. 13 Sept. 2008. This is a female and she is in the process of producing an ootheca, a tough leathery cover, that will protect her eggs.
Tettigoniidae -- Katydid Family
Katydids are sometimes known as long-horned grasshoppers in reference to the very long antennae - notice that the ends of the antennae are beyond the cropped edge of the photo. The tegmina are green with white bands. In addition the pronotum is outlined with white. This disruptive color pattern allows the insect to hide well within the intricately branched shrubs it inhabits. It feeds on tender shoots and leaves of various shrubs. Also known as the Western Bush Katydid it is a common Sonoran Desert insect, especially by the end of summer after the monsoon rains. Also ranges to California, New Mexico and Texas. Length ranges from 5 cm.