# Pink Katydid



## yen_saw

My newest pet.


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## lancaster1313

Very nice!

I sometimes raise little katydids until they are adults. Every nymph I find turns out to be a female.

I have never been lucky enough to find a pink one, even if they supposedly can be found in my area.

What species is she? I think I see an ovipositor back there.


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## agent A

how awesome!!! how do they camoflauge in the wild? do they hide among flamingoes?  

very neat


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## Bryce08

ive not seen a pink one before, looks really cool


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## ismart

No way! I cant believe you managed to get one of those!  Did you find it, or get it from somewhere? That's one beautiful bug! :wub:


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## yen_saw

likebugs said:


> Very nice!
> 
> I sometimes raise little katydids until they are adults. Every nymph I find turns out to be a female.
> 
> I have never been lucky enough to find a pink one, even if they supposedly can be found in my area.
> 
> What species is she? I think I see an ovipositor back there.


_Amblycorypha oblongifolia_ (De Geer 1773), native to Texas too. This one is a female i think.


agent A said:


> how awesome!!! how do they camoflauge in the wild? do they hide among flamingoes?
> 
> very neat


I think they hide amongst the pink flower. I don't know how can they survive in the wild being so 'outstanding'.


xxFaultxx said:


> ive not seen a pink one before, looks really cool


Yeah they are rather rare. The color is due to genetic so they will continue to grow up in pink color.


ismart said:


> No way! I cant believe you managed to get one of those!  Did you find it, or get it from somewhere? That's one beautiful bug! :wub:


Thanks Paul. No the Houston museum of natural science gave a dozen to me after a successful breeding. They picked a pink couple for breeding so all the new generation will likely be pink too.


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## agent A

so u have a dozen?

will u have their nymphs for sale one of these days?


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## yen_saw

agent A said:


> so u have a dozen?
> 
> will u have their nymphs for sale one of these days?


I hope to breed them. So if i am lucky then yes.


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## Bryce08

yen_saw said:


> I hope to breed them. So if i am lucky then yes.


awesome!! look foward to seeing how that goes!!!


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## twolfe

Beautiful! I had no idea there were pink ones!

I found some green Katydids this summer and thought they were neat looking. But I ended up feeding them to a couple of my mantids when I was short on food.

I googled and see that the pink morphs have been found in Illinois and Michigan.


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## patrickfraser

Simply WILD!


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## Precarious

Beautiful! And are.


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## yen_saw

wow everyone in my family loves it :clap: Here is the pinkiest one, also the largest.











and is a female (see the curly ovipositor)






Here is the smallest one, it is getting pink too, still has some gray on the back.


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## lunarstorm

Wow! I had no idea something like this even existed in the U.S.

Thanks for sharing Yen, good luck with the breeding!


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## Termite48

This is a very nice specimen. I have never before seen a pink one. If it flew accidentally into the range of my Panther Chameleon, it would be gone in less that 3 seconds. The Panther loves katydids. I would never feed a pink one because it is so rare. Good luck yen.

Rich


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## Idolofreak

Nice!!! Always wanted to see a pink one in person. I've actually found a couple brown ones in my area before. Last year I found an adult male Neoconocephalus retusus that was so light brown he was almost white. This year in late August I found a brown adult female of the same species.


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## meaganelise9

Awesome! Who wouldn't want one really?


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## happy1892

Wow, they are beautiful!


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## sporeworld

Wow! Next big thing in bug-breeding!

A bug my girls would actually pick up!!!


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## RobR1976

Wow, that must be so exciting. Pink Katydids are really hard to come by. I have found alot of the green ones right near my house this summer, I really enjoy them. I They have cute faces as well as personalities, and boy do they love to eat. I have never encountered a Pink one before. Good Luck with them, I hope you end up getting lost of babies in the future!! And if you do I'd love to get some  

-Rob


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## RobR1976

Wow, they reallly look awesome and so amazing, I'm envious.


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## Rick

Now that is awesome. Is this a genetic defect as in albinism, or are all members of the species pink in color?


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## yen_saw

lunarstorm said:


> Wow! I had no idea something like this even existed in the U.S.
> 
> Thanks for sharing Yen, good luck with the breeding!


Thanks! It is actually a species wide spread on the central and east of the USA. But the pink one is rare.


Rich S said:


> This is a very nice specimen. I have never before seen a pink one. If it flew accidentally into the range of my Panther Chameleon, it would be gone in less that 3 seconds. The Panther loves katydids. I would never feed a pink one because it is so rare. Good luck yen.
> 
> Rich


This species probably doesn't exist on the west coast, but a pink one is hard to miss. My son thinks a katydid in pink color is unreal, like the pink panther 


RobR1976 said:


> Wow, that must be so exciting. Pink Katydids are really hard to come by. I have found alot of the green ones right near my house this summer, I really enjoy them. I They have cute faces as well as personalities, and boy do they love to eat. I have never encountered a Pink one before. Good Luck with them, I hope you end up getting lost of babies in the future!! And if you do I'd love to get some
> 
> -Rob


Thanks. I have been told they love romain lettuce and cheerios! What type of foodplant have you seen them feeding on?


Rick said:


> Now that is awesome. Is this a genetic defect as in albinism, or are all members of the species pink in color?


It is a condition called erythrism. A genetic mutations causing the lack of normal pigment (green). Green is the most common color for this species, pink is rare, and according to the following Wiki, orange is ultra rare.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblycorypha_oblongifolia

By the way, the common name of this species is oblong-winged katydid, it is the pink one from this species that carries the name pink katydid.


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## angelofdeathzz

Very purdy indeed, right up my alley Rare and Beautiful! Have you noticed any other differences besides the pink color in them compared to a normal green one?


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## yen_saw

No other physical difference except for color.


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## [email protected]

Yen I really hope that you can breed them because I want some! I would also like to try and breed them because they would make excellent food for my chameleons. I wouldn't feed the pink ones out though lol!


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## yen_saw

Leeann said:


> Yen I really hope that you can breed them because I want some! I would also like to try and breed them because they would make excellent food for my chameleons. I wouldn't feed the pink ones out though lol!


I think your chameleons will prefer the pink one


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## Orin

Do you know how the eggs are kept for this species?

You seem to have all the luck getting hold of the best stuff. Most species of katydid throw a pink form but finding one is another story (let alone getting hold of an established line).


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## Orin

I took a look at google for pink katydid photos since I figured there'd be a ton of them and there are. I've seen pictures of a few different species' pink forms in books and figured there must be many more on the net. What I found most interesting was the likely origination of your stock: http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2009/02/rare_pink_katydids.php


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## yen_saw

Orin said:


> Do you know how the eggs are kept for this species?....


Eggs were incubated in partially damp coconut fiber bedding.


Orin said:


> .....What I found most interesting was the likely origination of your stock: http://scienceblogs....nk_katydids.php


 I know both HMNS and Audubon Insectarium. The pink katydid they have are not related.


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## dragon

*How cool! I have never seen a pink one before! That is really sweet! Be awesome to have some in a classroom to help get kids over the "bugs are ugly" attitude.*


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## kunturman

Yen,

You can count me in for your future list for Pink Katidids customers.


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## Idolofreak

Here's the brown adult female conehead katydid I mentioned earlier. This is the second brownish katydid I've found in the last two years. Last year I found an adult male.


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## yen_saw

dragons_maelstrom said:


> *How cool! I have never seen a pink one before! That is really sweet! Be awesome to have some in a classroom to help get kids over the "bugs are ugly" attitude.*





amamantodea said:


> Yen,
> 
> You can count me in for your future list for Pink Katidids customers.


Pressure... :sweatdrop: :sweatdrop: :sweatdrop: Will do my best. So far the pink katydids are doing fine feeding on peach leaves and lettuce, and strangely, love cheerios too :lol:


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## lunarstorm

No pressure Yen. There's just kids to delight and educate and a multi-zillion dollar business to be made (if this forum is in any indicator) from spreading these wonderful pink katydids. They're basically the unicorns of the insect world. Scratch that. They're the PINK unicorns of the insect world.

No pressure.


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## HoldThePickle

That's really awesome, Yen. I hope you have success with those little guys. It reminds me of the excitement when the albino Narceus americanus hit the market. (I think via Orin).


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## yen_saw

Thanks lunarstorm and holdthepickle. Pic of pink katydid molting. The first one for me, from the smaller pink katydid. Sorry pics are not sharp since taken through plastic tank.


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## twolfe

Cool photos. If you are able to breed them, it sounds like they will be as popular as your Orchids.


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## agent A

The legs seemed curved a bit

Did they straighten out later?


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## yen_saw

Tammy Wolfe said:


> Cool photos. If you are able to breed them, it sounds like they will be as popular as your Orchids.


Thanks Tammy, i would send you the pink katydid to trade for the wonderful pics from you.


agent A said:


> The legs seemed curved a bit
> 
> Did they straighten out later?


Yes that was just temporary.


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## twolfe

yen_saw said:


> Thanks Tammy, i would send you the pink katydid to trade for the wonderful pics from you.


That would be great!!


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## yen_saw

SUbadult now, still as pink as can be. Here is the subadult pair.












The female now has very obvious ovipositor.






The smallest nymph unfortunately has a bad molt ending up with bent hindleg bummer


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## yen_saw

First adult ... is a boy! still pink!


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## lunarstorm

Nice, grats Yen!

Is that romaine that it's standing on?


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## meaganelise9

Awesome!


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## ismart

So purdy! :wub:


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## agent A

he's missing a leg!!! i think they munch on more than just leaves


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## sporeworld

I am so jealous. Congratulations!


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## yen_saw

Another male turn into adult.






About 2 inches long











Still waiting for the first female to mature......


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## lunarstorm

That freshly adult male looks like a gorgeous specimen!

Thanks for keeping us posted, I'm excited to see what happens over time (lotsa pink youngins running around?)...


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## yen_saw

Thanks lunarstorm!

Adult female finally..... moment after molting.
















Hours later, and already started to feed


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## agent A

Yen, up in CT we have a huge glatiator katydid population, neat looking katydid, this summer I'll catch some for u


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## yen_saw

Gladiator katydid? Sounds macho!

I have put both adult males and females together after hearing male chirping on another cage, but haven't seen any mating so far. Wonder if it is too early to pair them up.


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## yen_saw

lunarstorm said:


> Nice, grats Yen!
> 
> Is that romaine that it's standing on?


yes Adam it is the romain lettuce


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## agent A

yen_saw said:


> Gladiator katydid? Sounds macho!
> 
> I have put both adult males and females together after hearing male chirping on another cage, but haven't seen any mating so far. Wonder if it is too early to pair them up.


They make a funny chirping noise so don't keep them in your bedroom, and they lay eggs in plant material such as grass

Whenever I keep katydids I have them all in a net cage and they do fine with plenty of food

I like the true katydids and angular winged katydids common here in CT


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## yen_saw

agent A said:


> They make a funny chirping noise so don't keep them in your bedroom, and they lay eggs in plant material such as grass
> 
> Whenever I keep katydids I have them all in a net cage and they do fine with plenty of food
> 
> I like the true katydids and angular winged katydids common here in CT


Big no no for me keeping bug in bedroom or my bugroom will be the bedroom  In the museum insect zoo, pink katydid eggs were incubated on coconut fiber bedding (slightly buried) so i am not sure if the katydid lay eggs on plant stems or soil.


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## Mantiskid

agent A said:


> how awesome!!! how do they camoflauge in the wild? do they hide among flamingoes?
> 
> very neat


HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


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## brancsikia339

Where'd you get it?


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## EXOPET

Hey Yen, I'd love some eggs from these_.... PM me when you have some available please_


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## Mantiskid

Uh oh...you're from texas yen_saw? What's your favorite baseball team? Hopefully not the Rangers 'cause I'm a St. Louis fan lol  .


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## brancsikia339

How are the katydids doing? Did they lay any eggs?


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## yen_saw

I haven't got the chance to check the substrate. I have been throwing in leaves into the cage that's all.


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## agent A

do they chirp a lot? my fbts make so much noise at night especially whilst spawing


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## brancsikia339

Hopefully they mated!


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## yen_saw

agent A said:


> do they chirp a lot? my fbts make so much noise at night especially whilst spawing


Yeah the male chirp often


brancsikia339 said:


> Hopefully they mated!


Hope so but i haven't seen one.


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## sporeworld

How are the little cuties doing...? Can we get a video of them chirping one day? I'm very excited about this little endeavor....


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## Krissim Klaw

Sporeworld said:


> How are the little cuties doing...? Can we get a video of them chirping one day? I'm very excited about this little endeavor....


Yes please, I would like to hear them also in a cage setting. I am one of those werdios that actually enjoys chirping bugs, one of the reasons I have my 20 gallon feeder cricket tank in my bedroom. I'm also very interested in how the beeding goes. These are so adorable. I can't get over how rich the pink turned out.


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## yen_saw

Sorry I have forgotten about this thread. The pink katydid are doing fine. They chirp when i am away but as soon as i enter the bug room they stop chirping, so i don't have any chance of filming them chirping  

The good news is I found this on the substrate :clap:


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## EXOPET

excellent news, congrats on breeding them


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## yen_saw

Thanks. Maybe a little early to celebrate on successful breeding. fingers crossed.


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## Krissim Klaw

Yen, I think you have a touch too much dirt and not enough rice if you are hoping to get into the cooking industry with that dish. :chef: 

Congrats on the eggs. Since Easter is right around the corner perhaps you should dye them pink to encourage the little ones to think pink.


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## CoolMantid

Wow! You bred them! I hope they hatch, please post pics when they do


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## Camden

likebugs said:


> Very nice!
> 
> I sometimes raise little katydids until they are adults. Every nymph I find turns out to be a female.
> 
> I have never been lucky enough to find a pink one, even if they supposedly can be found in my area.
> 
> What species is she? I think I see an ovipositor back there.


I've never been able to find them either  I love them though, and I love the green ones all the same.


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## Peter Clausen

I always appreciate your wonderful photos of US species. Beautiful!

The pink orchid mantises aren't liking your new pets at all!


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## yen_saw

Surprise surprise..... :clap:


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## CoolMantid

They hatched!?


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## brancsikia339

Are you going to sell them if they hatch?


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## yen_saw

Hertarem45 said:


> They hatched!?





brancsikia339 said:


> Are you going to sell them if they hatch?


Yes and Yes


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## Krissim Klaw

yen_saw said:


> Surprise surprise..... :clap:


I demand some photos of these adorable new babies. I really might have to look into getting some. They are the first insects ever that has made my insectphobic mom go, "You need to get some of those."


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## EXOPET

Hey Yen, did you manage to culture these? I'd love to get my hands on some still, possibly trade, or willing to buy, let me know please

thanks


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## Jinx

I've always loved seeing these guys at the Insectarium back in New Orleans. Maybe I should go bug hunting while I'm in Houston?


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## nirotorin

What ever happened with these? Are you still breeding them?


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## Krissim Klaw

I know this thread is old, but I saw an article a little while back that made me think of this thread.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2013/08/13/in-north-american-katydids-green-isnt-the-dominant-colour-pink-is/


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## Bugmankeith

Why aren't people breeding the different color morphs together to create a colorful subspecies and let some go, imagine finding a few of these each year instead of rarely if ever finding them. The oblong winged katydid live in many states.


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## Orin

Bugmankeith said:


> Why aren't people breeding the different color morphs together to create a colorful subspecies and let some go, imagine finding a few of these each year instead of rarely if ever finding them. The oblong winged katydid live in many states.


Birds eat the colored ones.


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