Insect Observations

The Oecanthidae are a recently (2022) restored family of crickets based on the type genus Oecanthus Serville, 1831. They include "tree crickets", "anomalous crickets" and "bush crickets" (American usage) and can be found in warmer parts of most of the world (not the northern Palaearctic, Nearctic or Antarctica).

Not every insect on a mountain has a well-known story. Eucoptaspis is a genus of katydids (family Tettigoniidae) that most field guides barely mention, which …

A stag beetle on a sun-warmed rock It was sitting on a bare patch of rock, its dark shell drinking in the August sun. At …

A two-spotted cricket resting on a leaf in Lombok On a warm August morning in Lombok, I found this cricket perched on a green leaf …

Tiny white and black scales clinging to a stem On a green stem in Lombok, a cluster of tiny insects clung to the plant like …

A red-headed earwig on a green leaf On a green leaf in Lombok, ringed by white flowers and dark stems, sat an earwig that looked …

A spiny black ant patrolling a tree trunk This ant was patrolling a tree trunk in Lombok, surrounded by dense green foliage and fallen leaves, …

A green grasshopper with blue and yellow markings This grasshopper was perched on a green stem in Lombok, surrounded by withering leaves and fresh green …

A tiny moth shimmering with metallic green On a green leaf in Lombok, against a background of blurred plants and a dark railing, sat a …

A tiny mantis dressed to look like an ant On a green leaf in Lombok, over a blurred grey background, sat a mantis so small …

A white-breasted waterhen stepping through the grass In Lombok, a white-breasted waterhen stepped out of the grass onto a patch of green, picking its way …

A green moth with white spots on a leaf On a green leaf in Lombok, surrounded by soft-focus flowers and foliage, sat a moth whose …