Red Katydid

This bright red katydid had fallen out of the trees overhead in a forested area near Lodja, in the center of Zaire, now the Democratic of the Congo. I was awed by the brilliant, deep, solid red of the insect, and snapped a picture. I never saw another one.

Katydids are relatives of crickets, and can be distinguished from grasshoppers by their antennae that are as long or longer then their body. Their ovipositors (egg-laying tube) are also very long. They sing at night, with a raspy sound that is created from rubbing the forewings together. The name may come from "katy-did, katy-didn't."

It is not a surprise that I have never identified this insect. The Amazon is the home to 2,000 different species of katydids, so the tropical rainforest of the Congo could have at as many species as well. Various colors have been described for tropical katydids, including green, brown, white, pink, and yellow. Not red.