Ovate Shieldback

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I found a couple of these cool creatures while driving at night on little-used Mojave Desert roads. It was the first time I’ve encountered these rather bizarre looking insects.

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Ovate Shieldbacks are related to crickets and grasshoppers. They have a prominent plate-like structure called a pronotum that covers part of their body that resembles a shield. They are a mottled brown, blending in with dead grasses and the desert floor.

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Shieldback Katydids are the linebackers of the katydid world, with robust bodies and a fierce looking demeanor (they may look mean, but like most katydids, they are harmless when handled). An extremely diverse group, there are 123 species of Shieldback Katydids in North America – nearly all are western in distribution.

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These are usually the first katydids to emerge as adults. Males can be heard singing as early as mid-to-late June in weedy fields and brushy woodland understories.

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Females have a long curved ovipositor protruding from the abdomen. It is not a stinger, though it looks like one. Ovipositors are used to deposit fertilized eggs deep into the soil.

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Unlike their vegetarian relatives, Shieldback Katydids are scavengers on dead insects and are active predators of other insects. They do eat plants too, though.

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These were a super cool find on my Las Vegas Area adventure.

Third Eye Herp
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