Peacock katydid

Description

Pterochroza ocellata,the peacock katydid,is an insect in the family Tettigoniidae.The species is a leaf-mimic katydid;when it is in repose its camouflage resembles a diseased or dead leaf.The katydid owes both its common name and its specific epithet (ocellata,meaning "marked with little eyes") to its startle display,in which it shows false eye spots on its normally hidden hind wings.The adult Pterochroza ocellata is about 45mm to 65mm in length.In its protective camouflage it resembles a dried leaf.If in spite of its camouflage it is threatened,the katydid exposes its hind wings,displaying two conspicuous eye spots.No two individual Pterochroza ocellata are identical in their color pattern or the shape of the wings;this reduces the risk that predators could learn to recognize a fixed visual pattern.As in all katydids,their organs of hearing,or tympana,are on their front legs just below the joint between the femur and the tibia.The antennae are long,even for Tettigoniidae,being two to three times the length of the body