Rose-coloured armour of the common garden katydid
November 28, 2014
This the unusual colour of this katydid is due to the foods it eats.
Image credit: Marina Schwartz
A common garden katydid nymph takes the saying ‘you are what you eat’ to a whole new level
This week’s reader photo was taken by Marina in Tewantin, Queensland.
The common garden katydid (Caedicia simplex) is found throughout Australia, and lives in urban areas, forests and woodlands. While the adults of the common garden katydid are always green, the nymphs take on the colour of whatever they have been eating.
Nymphs may be bright pink if they have been feeding on red roses, or yellow if they have been feeding on Cassia flowers. The colour can remain for several moults, and the ability to change hue fades as the nymph develops into an adult.
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