leaf bug?

[~Abyss~]

My dad tought he found a grass hopper today so i decided hey my scorp and frog are due to eat might as well right! But it was actually a wierd bug that has leaf looking wings i dont know what it eats or a pic of it right now and i didnt have the heart to kill it because seeing something like this in my own backyard is really rare even a grass hopper is rare in this part of los angeles. Should i let it go or can i keep it as a pet what should i feed it and housing and ....WHAT IS IT? it about an inch big and sticks to everything apperently.:? okay i found a pic it definatly looks likehttp://www.disneymike.com/photoblog/leaf_bug.jpg

 

[zinto]

Looks like a katydid

 

[kraken]

Yup...katydid they are numerous here

 

[~Abyss~]

what leaves can i feed it or should i just release it into the wild?its so weird to find these here

 

[zinto]

You can try to feed it leaves of most deciduous (lose leaves in Fall) trees, although I've read that some are predatory as well feeding on small insects and snails. Good luck whatever you do.

 

[~Abyss~]

thanx unfortunatly i do not know how long they live so hopefully i can keep it for a while.

 

[insect714]

Hey Abyss we have a lot of Katydids here in the LA & OC county areas I feed them to my scorp all the time. a few of my widows like them also..

Jon

 

[bugmankeith]

By me they are pretty rare to find also, one time I found a male and kept it in my house for a night, the buzzing was SO loud it kept my parents awake, so I let it go the next day. Good thing I did, it found a mate, and now this year I hear one of it's male offspring singing! I find them in the Hosta plant.

 

[psionix]

looks like a Microcentrum rhombifolium, common name being "Broad-Winged Katydid" or "False Katydid". (it is a true katydid despite that common name.)

 

[bugmankeith]

I found pictures of katydids that are exact to yours, but nobody knows what the species name is? I found out yours is in the family of "angle wing katydids."

If you want to spend hours looking, here is a site with pictures of hundreds of katydid species.

http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/katylist.htm#scudderia


Unless you know the species, you wont know what it eats.