Chinese Katydid
Gampsocleis gratiosa
A singer that hears with its front legs and finds its way with long whiskers
The Chinese Katydid has a stocky build; males rub their forewings together for a loud courtship call, and it stars in China’s caged singing-insect culture. Its ‘ears’ open on the shin (tibia) of the front legs, and its antennae are far longer than its body — the clearest sign it is not a grasshopper.
Key figures
- Length
- About 30–40 mm; both green and brown color forms are common
- Life cycle
- One generation a year; eggs overwinter in soil, and adults are most often seen in summer and autumn
- Habitat
- Farmland, grassland, and shrubland, often among legumes and grasses
- Diet
- Omnivorous; feeds on young leaves, flowers, and fruit, and also preys on aphids and other small insects
- Calling
- Males call by rubbing their left and right forewings together, used for courtship and to defend territory
- Identification
- Antennae far longer than the body — the clearest way to tell a katydid from a grasshopper at a glance
Life cycle
Egg (overwinters in soil) → Nymph (multiple molts) → Adult
Ecological role
The Chinese Katydid is an omnivorous member of farmland and grassland ecosystems, feeding on both plants and small insects while also serving as prey for mantises, birds, and other predators. Its call is also an important part of China’s folk tradition of keeping singing insects.
Did you know
A katydid’s ‘ears’ sit on the shin of its front legs, not its abdomen — a grasshopper’s hearing organs sit on its abdomen instead. This is the most reliable, least known way to tell the two look-alikes apart.
Range
North China, East China, and southern Northeast China
Status
Common; long kept in cages as a traditional singing insect
Anatomy
- Antennae — Thread-like and far longer than the body, unlike a grasshopper’s short, stout antennae
- Forewing — Hardened with a file-like ridge (stridulatory file); rubbing the two sides together produces sound
- Hind Legs — The femur is well developed; jumping ability outpaces its flying ability
- Ovipositor — Shaped like a saber, used to lay eggs deep in the soil to overwinter
- Compound Eyes — Set on either side of the head; vision is less sensitive than its antennae and hearing organs
- Hearing Organ — This organ (tympanum) opens on the shin of the front leg rather than the abdomen — the defining trait of this group
Open the interactive 3D specimen