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Spiny Lobster Katydid
Panoploscelis specularis
-2.15, -77.69
Field Notes
Description:
This is a large (3.5-4 in/85-100 mm) nasty looking katydid that has a deep brown, almost black body with chestnut colored legs. It has a lot of spines all over its legs that it knows how to use to defend itself along with a powerful bite due to its size. The size of this individual and the presence of an ovipositor (photo #5) indicate it is a female. See notes for explanation of "injury" in photo #3.
Habitat:
I found this katydid under a light near a building in the Amazon rainforest of SE Ecuador (700 masl).
Notes:
What I thought at first was an injury to this katydid's back in reality are stridulatory organs on her wings. There is an interesting article on their purpose on wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stridulation. In short, they are to produce sound.
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