Macroxiphus
{{short description|Genus of orthopterans whose immature stage mimics ants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image=Macroxiphus sp cricket.jpg
|image_caption=Macroxiphus species mimicking an ant
|taxon=Macroxiphus
|authority= Pictet, 1888
|display_parents = 4
|synonyms=Odontocoryphus Karny, 1907
|synonyms_ref=
}}
MacroxiphusPictet (1888) Mem. Soc. Phys. Hist. Nat. Geneve 30(6): 52. is a small genus of bush crickets or katydids distributed in Southeast Asia and Micronesia. The nymphs (immature stages) of the insects mimic ants.
Species
- Macroxiphus nasicornis Pictet, 1888 - type species
- Macroxiphus sumatranus (Haan, 1843)
Camouflage and mimicry
Young instars of Macroxiphus, such as M. sumatranus, have an "uncanny resemblance" to ants, extending to their black coloration, remarkably perfect antlike shape, and convincingly antlike behaviour. Their long antennae are camouflaged to appear short, being black only at the base, and they are vibrated like ant antennae. Larger instars suddenly change into typical-looking katydids, and are entirely nocturnal, while the adult has bright warning coloration.{{cite book |last=Gwynne |first=Darryl T. |title=Katydids and Bush-crickets: Reproductive Behavior and Evolution of the Tettigoniidae |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_svaiSYja8C&pg=PA80 |year=2001 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=0-8014-3655-9 |page=80}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{OSF|name=genus Macroxiphus Pictet, 1888|id=1132785|accessdate=1 January 2019}}
}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2079573}}