Armored Ground Cricket vs Cone-headed Katydid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Armored Ground Cricket Cone-headed Katydid
Scientific Name Acanthoplus discoidalis Neoconocephalus ensiger
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Tettigoniidae Tettigoniidae
Size 40-50mm 45-60 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Wetlands
Diet Carrion Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions Africa Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Armored Ground Cricket

A large heavily armored katydid with sharp spines on its thorax and legs. It is flightless and moves in large migratory bands. When threatened, it can squirt hemolymph from its joints.

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Did You Know?

Individuals in marching bands become cannibalistic, and those that stop moving are eaten by those behind them.

Cone-headed Katydid

A long, slender katydid with a distinctive pointed cone on the top of its head. It hides among tall grasses and reeds, where its elongated body is perfectly camouflaged.

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Did You Know?

Its continuous high-pitched buzz is one of the dominant insect sounds of late summer nights in eastern North America.