Category Archives: Orthoptera

These huge katydids (bush-crickets) are everywhere at the moment. They sit perfectly camouflaged on leaves and then half jump, half crawl into the foliage making so much disturbance that it’s like a much larger animal is lurking there. Once you … Continue reading →

Orthoptera: Catantopidae Patanga japonica = tsuchi-inago Location: forest area near Ikeda Village in Munakata (aerial photo) Map: Google map link

In England we call these green bush-crickets, while they are called katydids in America. This bush-cricket had only one hind leg, but I took the photos from its “good side” and it posed nicely against the sky with a few autumn leaves … Continue reading →

Quite a small bush-cricket (kirigirisu) with green sides and a brown top. Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae (katydids/bush-crickets) Conocephalus melas = sasakiri Location: Path near Hyoutan Pond (map)

This species of locust (tsuchi-inago) is very common. The adults are quite large (up to 6cm) but not as big as the migratory locust (tonosama-bata). Orthoptera: Catantopidae Patanga japonica Locust = tsuchi-inago Location: path near Hyoutan Pond (map)

This is the same species of migratory locust (em>tonosama-bata) that is famous (infamous) as a pest in Africa. We get plenty of them here in Japan, but they don’t swarm like they do in Africa (at least not to my … Continue reading →

The female of this species is really huge, almost 8cm long in some cases, which makes it Japan’s largest grasshopper. As you can see in the photo, the male/female size difference is considerable. Although the distance they jump can be … Continue reading →

We found this oriental mole cricket (kera) under an advertising signboard at night. Mole crickets don’t just look like moles, with their spade-like front legs, they also behave like moles, living in underground tunnels and eating worms and grubs (as … Continue reading →

I’ve built a patio in the garden and it has benches consisting of cemented concrete blocks with wood on top. These are hollow so that we can store things inside them. Anyway, I lifted the lid of an empty one … Continue reading →