Insect Reference Libraries

Katydid is the common name of insects belonging to the grasshopper family Tettigoniidae, which contains over 6,800 species. Katydid are also known as "long horned grasshoppers" and "bush crickets." The term "katydid" is used mainly in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The name "katydid" comes from the sound produced by species of the N. American genus Pterophylla (literally "winged leaf")....

The Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) is a large cockroach which is originally from the island of Madagascar off the African coast. They are large and wingless and grow up to 2.5" in length and are brown to black in color. The insect makes a hissing sound for communication. They can live up to two years. It is a very popular pet because of its hissing sound and large...

The Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus) is a genus of large, flightless insects native to western United States, along the Pacific Coast, and south into Mexico. Because of its large, human-like head, it is commonly called the nino de la tierra (Spanish for "child of the earth"), or wó see ts'inii (Navajo for "skull insect"). It is also often called the potato bug, or alternatively the old...

The Cicada Killer Wasp is a large, solitary wasp so named because is hunts cicadas and provisions its nest with them. In North America it is sometimes called the Sand Hornet, although it is not a hornet, which belong to the family Vespidae. Taxonomy The North American cicada killer wasps all belong to the genus Sphecius, of which there are 21 species worldwide. The four cicada-killing...