Caedicia simplex, Common garden katydid

Swan Coastal Plain, Perth, Western Australia

This is a mated adult female of the Common garden katydid, which came as a surprise to me since the structure attached to the abdomen seems very much like male genitalia to the untrained eye. However it is actually the spermatophylax, which is a nutritional "package" produced by the male during mating. It is thought that this package helps enhance the fitness of the offspring, and prevents the female from mating with subsequent males.

Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours international nature photography project in Perth, Western Australia.

Canon EOS 7D with Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro lens; 1/250s at f/16 ISO 250, flash fired: from hand.