November 19, 2012 12:26 pm
What’s this big?
We wish your photo had more detail. We believe you have photographed the metamorphosis of a Naiad, the aquatic nymph of a flying insect with incomplete metamorphosis. Some insects that have larvae known as Naiads include Dragonflies, Damselflies, Mayflies, and Stoneflies. There is something that does not seem quite right about any of those possibilities. The head of this insect looks almost like that of a Grasshopper, but the hind legs are not long enough for a Grasshopper. It it turns out that this is the metamorphosis of some land insect like a Cricket, then this would be a documentation of the Metamorphosis of a Nymph, which is a term with a larger umbrella. All Naiads are nymphs, but not all nymphs are Naiads. This Tree Cricket Information page with photos and videos is pretty awesome.
We just received a comment that believes this may be a Cockroach Metamorphosis. That is a very good possibility. The morphology looks correct.