I Found A Weird Bug In The Desert

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(Edited)

UPDATE, see below.

I was out in the desert the past two days hunting crystals and opals. While picking up a large opal infused rock I came across this weird looking bug under it. Not that all bugs aren't weird looking, but this one was in a league of it's own.

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The disc on it's back, or head, was like something I had never seen before. To me it seemed almost as a warning to leave it alone.

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I think it belongs to the grasshopper species because of it's large, hind legs. I don't know much about bugs though so I really have no idea.

UPDATE: Thanks to @stortebeker I looked into crickets. This is a Mormon cricket, which isn't really a cricket. >Despite its name, the Mormon cricket is actually a shieldbacked katydid, not a cricket. > source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_cricket

I'm wishing now I would have taken some better pictures of it, but I was hot on the opal trail and couldn't deviate from my hunt. You can see some opal in the top, left in the photo below.

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Does anyone know what this bug is?

Opal hunting went great if you were wondering. I found some amazing pieces.

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Thanks for reading!



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9 comments
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It looks like some kind of cricket to me. But the color scheme looks pretty unusual. Nice find, thanks for sharing.

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I should have mentioned it was about 1.5" long. Odd looking little guy.

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Good call, looks like it is a cricket, but isn't. It's called a Mormon cricket. "Despite its name, the Mormon cricket is actually a shieldbacked katydid, not a cricket. " @enforcer48 @kaminchan

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Nice find!

And dang, I tried searching for what type bug that is...no dice.

!discovery 29

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Thanks. Ya, I tried to find it online too, but no luck. Maybe I discovered a new species!

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Wow! That bug looks like a tank with hard armor!
You are very good at spotting opal! I wouldn’t know where to look!lol

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It does look formidable. The disc is what really had me interested. Why have that on it's back/neck??

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