About Pterochroza ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Adult Pterochroza ocellata, a species of katydid, measure between 45 mm and 65 mm in body length. They use protective camouflage that makes them resemble a dried leaf. If their camouflage fails and they are threatened, the katydid opens to expose its hind wings, revealing two prominent eye spots. No two individual Pterochroza ocellata have identical color patterns or identical wing shapes. This variation lowers the chance that predators can learn to recognize a consistent visual pattern of this species. Like all katydids, this species has its hearing organs, called tympana, located on its front legs, just below the joint between the femur and tibia. Even among Tettigoniidae (the family that includes all katydids), this species has exceptionally long antennae. Their antennae reach two to three times the total length of the body.
