Chlorobalius | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Orthoptera |
Suborder: | Ensifera |
Family: | Tettigoniidae |
Genus: |
Chlorobalius Tepper, 1896 |
Species: | C. leucoviridis
|
Binomial name | |
Chlorobalius leucoviridis Tepper, 1896
| |
Synonyms | |
Chlorobalius is a genus in the bush cricket or katydid family containing a single species, Chlorobalius leucoviridis, commonly known as the spotted predatory katydid. [1] [2] C. leucoviridis is a predator and is an acoustic aggressive mimic of cicadas; by imitating the sounds and movements made by female cicadas, it lures male cicadas to within its reach and then eats them.
Chlorobalius leucoviridis was first described by the Prussian/Australian botanist and entomologist Johann Gottlieb Otto Tepper in 1896. It forms part of the family Tettigoniidae, the subfamily Listroscelidinae and the tribe Terpendrini, the gum-leaf katyatids. [2]
The adult Chlorobalius leucoviridis is a large, cryptically-coloured katydid. The body, wings and legs are barred and spotted in green and white. The legs bear short spines and both males and females have stridulatory organs, [1] the male has a file-and-scraper structure on the tegmen (fore-wing) while the female has pegs on the hind wing which rub against certain veins on the fore-wing. [2]
Chlorobalius leucoviridis is native to arid, inland regions of Australia. It is typically found high in a large bush or small tree. [1]
Chlorobalius leucoviridis is nocturnal and occurs in small groups which move from one location to another. [2] It feeds by catching other insects such as flies, grasshoppers and other katydids, grasping the prey with its fore-legs or first two pairs of legs, and immobilising it by biting it under the throat. The spines on the legs seem to play a part in controlling larger prey items. [1] The male makes loud, trilling songs to lead females of its own species towards its location. [1]
The male attracts male cicadas on which to feed by mimicry, luring them to its vicinity by deception. This is accomplished both acoustically, by audible wing-clicking in a pattern similar to that used by sexually-receptive female cicadas, and visually by the use of synchronised body movements similar to those exhibited by the females. [3] Remarkably, the katydid has the ability to mimic the sounds and movements of a number of different prey species, even some species with which it has never had direct contact. [3]
Chlorobalius | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Orthoptera |
Suborder: | Ensifera |
Family: | Tettigoniidae |
Genus: |
Chlorobalius Tepper, 1896 |
Species: | C. leucoviridis
|
Binomial name | |
Chlorobalius leucoviridis Tepper, 1896
| |
Synonyms | |
Chlorobalius is a genus in the bush cricket or katydid family containing a single species, Chlorobalius leucoviridis, commonly known as the spotted predatory katydid. [1] [2] C. leucoviridis is a predator and is an acoustic aggressive mimic of cicadas; by imitating the sounds and movements made by female cicadas, it lures male cicadas to within its reach and then eats them.
Chlorobalius leucoviridis was first described by the Prussian/Australian botanist and entomologist Johann Gottlieb Otto Tepper in 1896. It forms part of the family Tettigoniidae, the subfamily Listroscelidinae and the tribe Terpendrini, the gum-leaf katyatids. [2]
The adult Chlorobalius leucoviridis is a large, cryptically-coloured katydid. The body, wings and legs are barred and spotted in green and white. The legs bear short spines and both males and females have stridulatory organs, [1] the male has a file-and-scraper structure on the tegmen (fore-wing) while the female has pegs on the hind wing which rub against certain veins on the fore-wing. [2]
Chlorobalius leucoviridis is native to arid, inland regions of Australia. It is typically found high in a large bush or small tree. [1]
Chlorobalius leucoviridis is nocturnal and occurs in small groups which move from one location to another. [2] It feeds by catching other insects such as flies, grasshoppers and other katydids, grasping the prey with its fore-legs or first two pairs of legs, and immobilising it by biting it under the throat. The spines on the legs seem to play a part in controlling larger prey items. [1] The male makes loud, trilling songs to lead females of its own species towards its location. [1]
The male attracts male cicadas on which to feed by mimicry, luring them to its vicinity by deception. This is accomplished both acoustically, by audible wing-clicking in a pattern similar to that used by sexually-receptive female cicadas, and visually by the use of synchronised body movements similar to those exhibited by the females. [3] Remarkably, the katydid has the ability to mimic the sounds and movements of a number of different prey species, even some species with which it has never had direct contact. [3]