Anonistus Katydid (Anonistus scariosus)

Anonistus cf. scariosus - Anonistus Katydid (Burmeister, 1838) Orthoptera: Ensifera: Tettigoniidea: Tettigonioidea: Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae: Pleminiini

Date: 14th of November, 2017 at 01:51:31pm
Location: Brazil, Santa Catarina, Benedito Novo (-26.77, Long: -49.36)

Sex: ♂ (?)
Length: ~14-15cm

More pictures:

1
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64706/anonistus_cf._scariosus_-_anonistus_katydid_burmeister_1838.html

2

https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64703/anonistus_cf._scariosus_-_anonistus_katydid_burmeister_1838.html

3

https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64704/anonistus_cf._scariosus_-_anonistus_katydid_burmeister_1838.html

4

https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64702/anonistus_cf._scariosus_-_anonistus_katydid_burmeister_1838.html

Anonistus is a genus of katydids in the order Orthoptera, suborder Ensifera, infraorder Tettigoniidea, superfamily Tettigonioidea, subfamily Pseudophyllinae and tribe Pleminiini. The subject portrayed is an adult.

Synonyms of this genus include:

Anonistus elongata (Bruner, L., 1915)
Anonistus obliterans (Walker, F., 1871)
Acanthodis scariosus (Burmeister, 1838)
Phyllostachys scariosa (Burmeister, 1838)
Anonistus scariosa (Burmeister, 1838)
Acanthodis humilis (Serville, 1838)

They are distributed in Southeastern Brazil (South America).

To cut it short, it's hard to tell this is for sure of the species Anonistus scariosus as it seems different than the others found all around. However, it seems like their appearance differs between states of Brazil. Molecular data would be required to confirm. This is the only known species in the genus (more may appear as time passes) with a few synonyms which might indicate variations within the species. It does look like an Anonistus scariosus with some differences on the ornamentations of the pronotum and a slight difference on the size of the tegmen (modified leathery front wings) when compared to other Anonistus scariosus. A similar pronotum can be found in individuals captured in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, São Paulo (pictures shown to me from a knowledgeable person, which are probably not in the Internet and as such I can't post a link to them) and Paraná. The identification up to genus is further reinforced by the location.

https://www.insetologia.com.br/2014/01/esperanca-pleminiini-no-parana.html

http://www.lea.esalq.usp.br/me/fotos/Orthoptera/Tettigoniidae/Pseudophyllinae/5076.jpg - Unknown location

http://www.biofaces.com/post/45602/anonistus-scariosus/ - Rio de Janeiro (not the one shown to me)

They are probably omnivorous, but even with the lack of information available, it was insinuated that they have a preferrence for Vitis sp. (L.) (Vitaceae: Vitoideae) ("grapevines") - http://mipfrutas.xpg.com.br/FrutasBrasil.htm

This individual was mossy-green colored with mossy-yellow parts; Ornamented pronotum evident and mainly mossy-green; Tegmen veiny, slightly shorter than a few other individuals and with mixed green and yellow-mossy colors. This could just be a variation as they seem to have many variations and not much is known about them; Even the sex of these katydids might display variations. Antennae and legs blending in coloring with the body and longer than it. The eyes also seemed to blend in with the coloring of the body. A strange behaviour was noted in which the katydid hang upside down on the wall almost all day long with a stretched body. This behaviour is shared among members of the tribe Pleminiini and is probably used to aid in the camouflage aspect. Take a look at this member of Pleminiini camouflaging in its natural habitat: https://flic.kr/p/eFthVL

As such, the variation in coloring in Anonistus and other members of Pleminiini between locations might be justified. The wall on which the individual portrayed was found was covered in moss (which do not appear in the pictures), further reinforcing the theory. The upside down and stretched body does not seem to be a rule as, apparently, they can, generally speaking, display the same behaviour as other katydids.

The subject portrayed looks like a male, but I'm not sure, and measured (counting the antennae) around 14 or 15cm in length (requires confirmation).

Identified by Phillip Watzke Engelking (https://www.facebook.com/phillip.watzkeengelking). Animalia,Anonistus,Anonistus scariosus,Arthropoda,Brazil,Ensifera,Geotagged,Insecta,Insects,Orthoptera,Pleminiini,Pseudophyllinae,South America,Spring,Tettigoniidae,Tettigoniidea,Tettigonioidea,animal,animals,insect

Appearance

Ornamented pronotum evident and mainly mossy-green; Tegmen veiny, slightly shorter than a few other individuals and with mixed green and yellow-mossy colors. This could just be a variation as they seem to have many variations and not much is known about them; Even the sex of these katydids might display variations. Antennae and legs blending in coloring with the body and longer than it. The eyes also seemed to blend in with the coloring of the body.

Naming

Anonistus elongata (Bruner, L., 1915)
Anonistus obliterans (Walker, F., 1871)
Acanthodis scariosus (Burmeister, 1838)
Phyllostachys scariosa (Burmeister, 1838)
Anonistus scariosa (Burmeister, 1838)
Acanthodis humilis (Serville, 1838)

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Taxonomy
Kingdom	Animalia
Division	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Orthoptera
Family	Tettigoniidae
Genus	Anonistus
Species	Anonistus scariosus

Photographed in
Brazil