BLACK HOPPER KATYDID
CLEAR RESIN ENCAPSULATION

Tettigoniidae is a major family of long-horned grasshoppers in the suborder Ensifera of the order Orthoptera, characterized by strong hind limbs for leaping, powerful mouth-parts for chewing, four tarsal segments, long and threadlike antennae (which have well over 30 segments and may exceed their own body length), stidulatory specializations of the forewings to make sounds, and a left over right overlap of the singing wings in males. Members of Tettigoniidae are known by the common name of katydids in the New World, Australia, and New Zealand, and bushcrickets in Europe, while the term long-horned grasshoppers also is used in some locations (sometimes in Australia and New Zealand as well), but sometimes also applies to members of Ensifera in general. Tettigoniids are closely related to the crickets of the same Ensifera suborder.

Tettigoniids are a very large group, with more than 7,000 species in over 1000 genera, and can be quite large (1 to 6 centimeters). They are found on all continents except Antarctica.

Katydids display remarkable adaptations for defense, a consequence in part of their generally poor flying ability, which leaves them highly vulnerable to predation. Cryptically coloured species, which blend in with the environment, rely primarily on the mimicry of vegetation. The peacock katydid (Pterochroza ocellata), for example, precisely mimics the discoloration of a dead leaf.Some katydid species exhibit deimatic (startling) behaviour, in which they use vivid coloration or chemical defenses in their attempts to ward off attack by a predator.

tettigoniids also provide important functions for the ecosystem and for humans. Ecologically, they are very important in terrestrial food chains, being preyed upon by invertebrates and vertebrates, including mantids, amphibians, and birds. They also add considerably to the ambiance of nature with their nocturnal "singing." In China, katydids have commercial value, being sold as singing pets.

Katydids may employ unique communication strategies to avoid detection by predators. Males of the species Docidocercus gigliotosi, for example, may mask their nighttime mating signals from predatory bats by using tremulations, whereby vibrations are sent along plant substrates shared by females. Some katydid species supplement abbreviated songs with tremulations in order to avoid bat predation.