Bug That Looks Like a Leaf
One of the many amazing adaptations that insects have is that they can look like leaves. This form of camouflage helps these insects hide from predators and avoid being eaten.
Leaf-footed bugs (Coreidae) are medium to large sized insects that have leaf-like expansions on their hind legs. These extensions vary in size and shape from species to species.
False leaf bush-cricket
Crickets, grasshoppers and katydids are members of the order Orthoptera (straight wings), which is a group of insects that are vegetarians and omnivorous. They are nocturnal and are also known for their mating calls.
The false leaf bush cricket is a member of the tribe Pseudophyllinae and lives in Mainland Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Its dark green body and light green vertical veins resemble leaves, making it easy to mistake this insect for one!
The greater angle-winged katydid, also called the broad-winged katydid, is another member of this subfamily. It has a light green body with lighter veins, but if it weren’t for the long distinctive hind legs you would easily mistake it for a leaf. Like tree crickets, it sings at night. It produces a sharp Dzt! followed by a series of 10-20 quick tics. Its song ranges from a low, sharp trill to a high-pitched chirp and can be heard from more than a hundred feet away!
Microcentrum rhombifolium
One of the most recognizable of the bug-like katydids is the Microcentrum rhombifolium, which has a dark green body with light green vertical veins that closely mimic a leaf. Its front legs are green, and its hind legs are yellow. It’s also known as the greater angle-wing katydid, and it can be found throughout North America.
Like most katydids, the nymphs of Microcentrum rhombifolium feed on foliage before molting four times. Mated females deposit their eggs single-file along a twig or the edge of a leaf, each ovum overlapping the last like shingles on a roof. The nymphal stages of this insect are not particularly large, but its robust body shape and relatively short hind legs help distinguish it from similar-looking nymphs of other North American katydid species such as the lesser angle-wing katydid (Microcentrum retinerve). This is also a good example of a katydid that can sing! Its song is a sharp Dzt! that is given about once every few seconds, with a second or two of silence between each rattle.
False katydid
Katydids (family Tettigoniidae) are leaf-textured insects of open woods, edges and grasslands whose mating calls can be heard during the day or night. They are omnivores, and spend the spring, summer and fall feeding on leaves, aphids, fruit and other insects.
They hear with auditory organs called tympanums located on their forelegs, like those on the front of a human’s ear drum. When threatened, some katydids flash bright colors or secrete chemical defenses in their attempts to ward off predators.
Katydids are a member of the order Orthoptera, which includes straight-winged insects such as crickets and locusts. Their antennae are long and threadlike, enabling them to find food and avoid predators.
Giant leaf insect
Giant leaf insects, or Phyllium giganteum, are one of the best camouflaged creatures in the world. Their bodies mimic the veins of fruit leaves, like guava and oak, to make them hard to spot.
When they walk, giant leaf insects sway their legs, which helps them blend in with the leaves around them to avoid detection. They can even regenerate their limbs after they lose them by molting.
These creatures reproduce parthenogenetically, which means that their eggs hatch into more females without males contributing genes
to the genetic line. They’re a phasmid (order Phasmida) species, which means they’re related to stick insects.
They live in tropical forests, where they’re mostly nocturnal. They’re docile and quiet and can be kept as pets.
