Entomologists in Panama have observed a leaf-masquerading katydid species that begins life bright pink before turning green days later, a shift that may mimic rainforest leaves that flush red or pink before maturing — an adaptive camouflage strategy previously mistaken for a rare genetic anomaly.
Intense hot pink morph of an adult female Arota festae photographed on March 27, 2025, on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Image credit: Zeke W. Rowe.
Also known as the bush cricket, Arota festae is a medium-sized katydid species (body length – 2.7 cm; body mass - 1 g) native to Panama, Colombia, and Suriname.
It is typically a non-sexually dimorphic light green color with broad, rounded forewings which generally resemble early growth vegetation.
On March 27, 2025, University of St Andrews entomologist Benito Wainwright and colleagues spotted an intense hot pink female of Arota festae at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s field station on Barro Colorado Island, Panama.
“Finding this individual was a genuine surprise,” Dr. Wainwright said.
“Because it was so rare, we kept it in natural conditions and found it changing color from hot pink to green.”
“Rather than a bizarre genetic quirk, this may actually be a finely tuned survival strategy that tracks the life cycle of the rainforest leaves this insect is trying to resemble.”
The researchers reared the individual in captivity at natural ambient temperature and humidity for 30 days.
After four days in captivity, they noticed that the intensity of its pink hue had faded to a lighter pastel pink.
They subsequently monitored the coloration of this individual more closely by taking photographs every 24 hours with a camera.
After a further seven days, on April 7, 2025, the insect had turned completely green and was indistinguishable from individuals of the more common green morph.
Pink katydids have been documented in scientific literature since 1878 but were generally considered a rare, disadvantageous mutation.
This appears to be the first recorded case of a katydid completing a full color shift within a single life stage.
“Tropical forests are extraordinarily complex environments, and this discovery hints at just how precisely some animals have evolved to exploit them,” said Dr. Matt Greenwell, a researcher at the University of Reading.
“You would think that a bright pink insect in a mostly green forest would stand out to predators like a worker in a high-vis jacket.”
“The idea that an insect might gradually shift color to keep pace with the leaves it mimics shows how dynamic the rainforest can be, and is a remarkable example of camouflage in action.”
The team’s results were published March 7, 2026 in the journal Ecology.
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J. Benito Wainwright et al. 2026. Pink Cricket Club: Dramatic color change in a Neotropical leaf-masquerading katydid (Arota festae, Griffini, 1896). Ecology 107 (3): e70333; doi: 10.1002/ecy.70333
