Neduba sierranus

The Yosemite shieldback katydid (Neduba sierranus) is a Sierra Nevada specialty. Unlike its commoner green counterparts that we typically associate with late summer evenings (and that occasonally feed on unprotected citrus fruit) this brown species has no wings and is not green. And it can be active quite late in the year even in the snow.

We found this one hopping across the road in Sequoia National Park during the week of Thanksgiving. There was snow not far away - we were at an elevaton of about 7,000. This particular individual is a mature female. Notice the serrated ovipositer (egg-laying device) behind.  

Jerusalem Crickets

Jerusalem crickets are often imagined to be Near Eastern insects (John the Baptist is often assumed to have eaten the things) but they are not (and he didn't). They only occur in the western half of the United states and through Central America. But if diversity counts as preference (a ridiculous concept for sure) than their favorite place to live must be California. Of the 28 species listed by David Weissman (in his fascinating chapter on their communication and reproductive behavior in Laurence Field's book, The Biology of Wetas, King Crickets, and Their Allies) 19 are from California.



I'm going to call these two crickets Stenopelmatus nigrocapitatus (the dark headed Jerusalem cricket) although I have only a little confidence that this is true. This species is known from Fresno County where I found the second cricket (the first image was from just north of there in Mariposa County). The difficulty is that I don't have a recording of their nuptial drumbeats on which their taxonomy depends. Of course these insects don't beat on drums. In fact they don't even have the typical grasshopper ears (on their side) or washboard sounding mechanism (for rubbing their wings and legs together). But they do drum nonetheless - with their abdomens against the ground. They are also very good at picking up the drumming sound of other Jerusalem crickets with their forelegs.



I found the Mariposa cricket at dusk along the Merced River below Yosemite last November. With flashlight in hand, Jon, Bailey and I had just finished setting up camp and had taken our flashlights to go looking for whatever we might find. It wasn't long before we found the crickets hopping along the dirt road. It's a lot nicer to see these remarkable insects alive than in collections, where they are usually shriveled up and unidentifiable when left on pins. The second picture is of an individual I found three weeks ago along the San Joaquin River north of Fresno. Both insects are about an inch long.


The habitat shot is along the Merced River the day after I found the cricket. It had rained all night and the next day was mostly cloudy. I slept dismally inside the cab of my truck (in which I don't fit horizontally) so that the boys could stay dry in the covered bed. The next day was beautiful nonetheless. November is, after all, a bit of an unpredictable month in these parts. On the one hand it is the end of the year and most living things are asleep or dormant. On the other hand, the rains have begun and grass is starting to grow - a prelude to spring. One sort of takes one's pick on the prevailing mood. And the Merced River somehow knows all of this and tends to speak for itself. By lunchtime I think it was in a good mood.

Dead-Leaf Typophyllum

One of the pleasures of visiting tropical America is the discovery of its impressive number of grasshoppers, walking sticks and katydids. Some of these insects reach enormous proportions. A number of years ago while hiking with my friend Mark into the back-country of Honduras (around Mount Botaderos) I nearly smashed a walking stick that was nearly the size of a baton. It was so perfectly camouflaged on a tree that I failed to notice it just inches from my hand. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me.


It's not at all uncommon to come upon grasshoppers that are twice the size of the big ones we see in the states. But that said, it is the katydids that really outdo themselves. Earlier this year (in May) I took a trip to Costa Rica with my friend Steve and son Michael. We spent one night at the Wilson Botanical Gardens (southwest of San Vito, near the Panamanian border) and had the privileged of exploring the many trails that wind through various elevations of native forest. Among the many fascinating creatures we saw, this dead-leaf katydid was one of the most impressive. It belongs to the genus Typophyllum and may be the recognized species T. mortuifolium (literally the dead-leaf Typophyllum) but since our knowledge of this group in Central America is so limited, I have no way to confirm this.


The katydid is about two inches long (excluding the antennae) and the mimicry is truly remarkable - even down to the necrotic spots on the wings that look like areas of fungal growth. I found it at night not long after the sun went down near the visitor lodge. The picture of the tropical sunset is from the back porch right after a chestnut-mandibled toucan went squawking through the upper canopy of the Cecropia trees. If you ever make it to Costa Rica, this is a great place to see - but you'll want to spend at least a couple of days there. The facilities are nice and the staff are very accommodating.