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Spiny Devil Katydid

uncommon

Spiny Devil Katydid

Panacanthus cuspidatus

Habitat: Amazon rainforest understory of Ecuador, Peru & Colombia
Body length: 60 mm
Order: Orthoptera · Tettigoniidae

Weird but real

Bristling with spikes and a head horn, it rears up and lashes its thorny legs, which double as a prey-snaring cage.

Why it's cool

A leaf-green gremlin armored like a medieval mace. Its spines scale with its song's complexity: louder bug, spinier bug.

Photographs

Spiny Headed Katydid — Graham Wise from Brisbane, Australia · CC BY 2.0 · source

Panacanthus cuspidatus — Geoff Gallice from Gainesville, FL, USA · CC BY 2.0 · source