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Image: mickeymox

Some insects are like rock stars: they like to be flashy and stick out with an unusual appearance. Yes, we’re talking about insects that sport a shocking pink colour. If you’ve ever seen one and thought that was it – there are more! Find out why some insects wear shades of pink and which ones do so too. We’ve dug out six for you. Spot on.

Shocking pink katydid:

Image: Tom Morse

1. The Pink Katydids – Punk Rock

Gotta love the name of the first insect: katydid. Try saying it fast: pink katydid. It has a ring to it, definitely. But we’re digressing. Here are the facts.

The pink colouring of some katydids is due to a condition called erythrism, an unusual reddish pigmentation that can affect an animal’s body, skin, feathers, hair or eggshells. It is caused by diet or a genetic mutation that either leads to the absence of a normal pigment or the excessive production of another. In katydids, the pink colouring might be a kind of camouflage that hides them on reddish or pinkish plants.

What do you mean who painted me? Katy did!

Image: Zi Sheng

Katydids belong to the family of Tettigonidaes and are also called bush crickets or long-horned grasshoppers, though they are more closely related to crickets. Unlike the grasshoppers’ long and thick antennae, katydids have long, thin ones that can even exceed their own body length.

Of the more than 6,400 species, about 255 can be found in North America; the rest in the tropical regions of the world.

Katydid profile:

Image: Zi Sheng

Below are some green, pink and white katydids found in Japan. Their colouring usually ranges from green to brown and therefore even the white katydid is considered an aberration, and probably an albino. A pink katydid is considered an extreme form of the brown katydid.

Pink, white and green katydid found in Osaka, Japan:

Image via pinktentacle

2. The Rose Dragonflies – Pop

Who says pink is for girls? Males of the Roseate Skimmer dragonfly (Orthemis ferruginea) are characterised by their bright pink body (abdomen, actually) whereas the females prefer orange shades. The younger the dragonfly, the brighter its pink tone; mature males will develop a more bluish tint.

Roseate Skimmers are common in the Americas and can be found anywhere from the United States to Chile.

Roseate Skimmer youngster from Hong Kong:

Image: Denise Chan

Gorgeous in pink:

Image: Dale Mulert

3. Pink Mantis – Independent Rock

Did you know that praying mantises are more closely related to termites and cockroaches than to the more similar looking grasshoppers and crickets? Strange but true. Though they are known to prey on other insects, praying mantises are named after their prayer-like stance. More than 9,900 species are known and can be found mainly in the temperate and tropical climates of the world.

Praying mantises are masters of camouflage and take on the colour of their surroundings both as protection from predators but also to blend in better and then trap unsuspecting prey.

Pink beauty in front of a pink background:

Image: mickeymox

4. The Pink Grasshoppers – Ska

As we have learned above, grasshoppers can be distinguished from katykids and crickets by their short, thick horns. Locusts are also grasshoppers but those that change colour and behaviour at high population densities. Like praying mantises, grasshoppers use camouflage to blend in with their surroundings. This pinkish beauty below must live in a very colourful environment.

Pink grasshopper taken in Norfolk, UK:

Image: Tim Parkinson

5. The Lonely Leafhoppers – Blues

From one hopper to the next – leafhoppers are plant-feeding insects of the Cicadellidae family of which more than 20,000 species are known. They look like a simpler version of grasshoppers and have very short horns. Especially the nymphs show all sorts of bright colour variations.

Yellow and pink leafhopper close-up:

Image: Opo Terser

6. The Pink Furry Moths – Country

Rosy Maple moths (Dryocampa rubicunda) have a wingspan of 30-40 mm for males and 40-50 mm for females. They have furry yellow bodies and pink wings with a distinct yellow triangle on them. As the name suggests, this North American moth prefers to feed on maples.

Look into my eyes, baby:

Image: Charles Lam

Here’s the delicate beauty in all its pink and yellow glory:

Image: Ezra F.

Talk about a strawberry blonde –full body shot of Rosy Maple:

Image: svdmolen

Did you notice that some of the pink insects like the Rosy Maple moth and the leafhopper sport pink in conjunction with yellow, which happens to be the complementary colour of pink? According to colour theory, two colours are called complementary when, if mixed in proper proportion, they produce a neutral colour like grey, white or black. The secret to some insects’ funky colours seems to lie in this fact. So when predators look at these complementary coloured insects, especially from a height or when in motion, all they would see is some sort of grey. But apart from confusing predators, the insect’s daring colouring fulfils another purpose: it attracts potential mates. Or should we say groupies?

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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