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Wildlife Spotting

Photo by lmi1975.li
Published on Project Noah
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29.2766, -81.9127

Field Notes

Description:

Camouflaged !! Approx. 3 in. long, translucent like camouflage.

Notes:

Hiding like the Predator in the jungle, this little guy scared the $#!? out of me. I was trying to place a caterpillar on my Virginia creeper, my peripheral caught something kinda out of focus. This guy !!
I don't know what it is

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (1)

Hi lmi1975.li, This was really a problem, mostly because the colour of the "insect" was very close to the colour of the foliage on your plant. When that happens, it is always difficult, but I think I know what this was. I am sure you are aware that insects do not have internal skeletons. What they have is a hard external covering which protects them like a suit of armour. It is called an exoskeleton. When the insect grows bigger, the exoskeleton becomes a tight fit and it cracks open, allowing the insect to climb out. The insect is then without protection for the short period it takes for a new outer cover to stiffen and become its new exoskeleton. The old "cast off" exoskeleton (which is now called an "Exuvia") is just left behind, where the moult took place. I am pretty sure that what you have in your picture is the Exuvia of a grasshopper. It would be very difficult to identify the species just from a photo of the exuvia. It would need to be closely examined and even then it might be impossible to be 100% sure. I think it would be best to call your spotting "Grasshopper Exuvia" (for the Common Name) and "Unidentified Tettigoniidae" (for the Scientific Name). If that was my Spotting, that's what I would call it.
Photographed
PublishedOctober 10, 2023

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