I was looking at all the photos on INat of large katydid species (like the Giant Malay Leaf Katydid), and I found a disturbing amount of photos in which people had these 4+ inch bugs crawling on their hands! Katydids are prone to biting, I have found, and I wouldn’t even want a conocephalus sitting on my palm. But a giant katydid? For you people who observe these bugs, I want to ask: don’t they bite you?
While Idk about giant katydids, here in Bangalore we have some relatively tame ones around the size of a tennis ball. They seem quite chill as long as you don’t move fast.
I agree with you, Max!
When I am handling giant tropical katydids, they have murder in their eyes and gnashing of their jaws. I could also let venomous snakes crawl on my arms, and most of the time it would be okay. Until the snake smells “mouse” on me and bites (that is how many venomous snake keepers take serious bites). So it’s okay, until suddenly, it isn’t.
I never do either! I don’t freehandle venomous snakes, and I don’t let murderous katydids crawl on me when they’re already mad about having their day interrupted. Why take chances? To impress your friends?
I’ve actually never let one crawl on me before, and I say that as a serial bug-toucher!
Well, I saw a katydid atleast 50 times, that may be less too. Species - 5.
Truth is, India may have been gifted with some of the most gentle and humble katydids you can get, or probably, SE Asia too.
2 of them in Phaneropterinae were so cute and tame, one of which I unfortunately almost killed.
The other flew away like a charm. The other got very much damaged, I feel bad for it.
Pro tip: Grab a katydid by its wings. Species with large mandibles are likely to bite, especially if they are flexing their jaws.
hey those are the cutest, and the friendliest! You don’t want those beautiful, sleek and agile cuties on your palm? In India, they are just so lovely! They also come in an abundance.
The katydids which are literally biting machines in my experience is the closely related genus Eucorocephalus. That bites bad. I’ve seen two species. One time I found it when I accidentally felt it on the railing while playing around. Yes, I did not find it by sight, sound or even smell (as with some stink bugs) but with touch, without landing on me. It was brown. My brother found a green one recently. It had very real anger issues, bit me and made me drop it.
I won’t take chances. Common field katydids are scary enough. Once I caught 3 Neoconocephalus (am I spelling that right?) and but them in a container together. I went inside to find my brother, but we returned to find one of them dead and half-eaten! Also they reach for you and when they grab your finger, they pull it to their jaws.
The ones with ‘conocephalis’ in their names seem the most aggressive. Also the most common in my old home in the USA. I always hold them by the wings, and I avoid catching young specimens (no wings).
I guess that new world one have the so called
They do. I called them ‘Gladiator Katydids’, which actually refers to a different Conocephalus species which it somewhat resembled. They’re tough to catch without being bitten. Grasshoppers can bite, but they’re less likely to and they don’t really hurt.
Katydids. It is hard to catch them unless they are at a light.
I caught them by moving slowly from behind them while they sit in the grass and then grabbing their wings. Takes multiple tries, especially since they revolve around the stem they are on to be on the opposite side from you. At a light would be easier, but at lights I mostly just got lacewings, june beetles, crane flies, and moths.
the location makes a difference. but every creature gets to the other side of the branch. Atleast many, like treehoppers too.
Yes, so do leafhoppers. In America, we had black and orange treehoppers. Excellent jumpers, and hard to catch. I have not seen any treehoppers in Russia yet (It’s also October and I wasn’t really looking).
I once kept 2 insects a cricket and one other creature, which I can’t recall at the moment, in a pen cap because I had nowhere else to keep them at that time. The cricket muilated the other.
The rule I developed based on my experiences is beware of the katydids with different colored mouthparts. Green mouth, probably chill. Red mandibles, they will bite and it will hurt.
I handled some of these in ecuador
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/324471326
Spiny Devil Katydid
" Panacanthus species have six spiny legs that they use for defense. The legs help fight off enemies and trap prey. They are able to camouflage among the leafy tropical trees because of their unique green color. Even though they do not have teeth, they are able to shred flesh with the bite of their sharp mouth parts."
Did I get bitten? Sure. Did it hurt? Not much more than other animals I have been bitten by. But its only a mechanical bite, no venom risk. So if it pierces the skin, clean and monitor and its fine. (Note: Not recomending handling these or others similar, just that I know and accept the risk).
I’ll stick to meadow katydids.
