The wood cricket Triaenogryllacris triaena is found in Western South America. To blend in with its surroundings, the species has three colour morphs: yellow, green, and (hot) pink. The pink one is definitely my favourite. #EverydayEnsifera #bugsky

📸: Juan José Caicedo

Schizodactylus monstrosus uses its strong, spiky legs to create sand dune burrows in the deserts of southern Asia. Although those curled wings look fancy, they're not functional and these guys can't fly. Maybe for the best since they're predatory! #EverydayEnsifera #bugsky

📸: mruga (iNaturalist)

Like other members of the Hyperbaeninae, Dialarnaca zhoui spins silk to create shelters from rolled leaves. What ISN'T common is the species' striking pink and gold colouration! This gorgeous leaf-roller is known only from the Yunnan province in China. #EverydayEnsifera

📸: Zhou Yu

Field crickets (Gryllinae) aren't just plain brown chirping things in backyards - the group is actually pretty diverse, with >3,000 species. Maybe the weirdest are in the genus Sciobia, which all have these delightful Pikmin-like "hats" 🥺

📸: Sciobia barbara, Pierre-Henri Fabre

#EverydayEnsifera

The Mexican Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus talpa) calls to mates by beating its chunky abdomen against the ground, producing a drumming sound. Each species of Stenopelmatus has a different drumming song. #EverydayEnsifera

📸: Jalil Rodríguez M

The koringkriek (Acanthoplus discoidalis) is a katydid found in southern Africa. Not only does the species have a powerful bite, it's also known to squirt toxic blood or throw up its stomach contents as a defense mechanism! #EverydayEnsifera

📸: Rudi Bosbouer

The Cook Strait giant wētā (Deinacrida rugosa) is an anostostomatid from New Zealand. It's one of the largest insects in the world! Major threats to this cutie include land clearing and predation by rats. It's listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. #EverydayEnsifera

📸: d_kluza (iNaturalist)

Cooloola monsters are weird, chunky insects endemic to South East Queensland, Australia. They're probably related to king crickets (Anostostomatidae), but not much is known about their evolution. The wingless females live permanently underground. #EverydayEnsifera

📸: Visit Gympie Region

There are ~18,000 species of katydids, crickets, & allies worldwide - over 32,000 if you include questionable names. I thought it'd be fun to showcase some weird, beautiful, or unusual species daily. First up is Orophus tessellatus, a katydid from Central America! #EverydayEnsifera

📸: Karl Kroeker