Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Conocephalus saltans (Scudder, 1872) - Prairie Meadow Katydid

Taxonomy

Family: Tettigoniidae	Subfamily: Conocephalinae	Tribe: Conocephalini
Comments: One of nineteen species in this large worldwide genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (SINA, 2018; Cigliano et al., 2018); ten have been recorded in North Carolina
Species Status: Includes C. viridifrons as a synonym (Cigliano et al., 2018)

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:	Online Photographs: SINA, BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF	Technical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Rehn and Hebard (1915); Blatchley (1920)	SINA 225a.htm
Comments: A small, reddish-brown to bluish-green, short-winged Lesser Meadow Katydid. The typical form is dull reddish-brown. The face is marked with a dark stripe or blotch and a wide stripe of brown runs from the vertex of the head, across the pronotum, and down the center of the abdomen. Pale stripes border this band on the sides, including on the abdomen, where a dark stripe may also border them below. In form viridifrons, the face is immaculate green, the body is bluish green, the dark stripes paler and the yellow stripes more obscure (Blatchley, 1920). Conocephalus brevipennis is similar in size but lacks the prominent pale stripes on the sides and the dark line or blotch on the face.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 11-14 mm, males; 12.8-15.5 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)	Forewing Length: 3-3.5 mm, males; 2.5-2.7 mm, females (Blatchely, 1920)
Structural Features: The apical portion of the male cerci are longer than the basal portion and are incurved or flattened (Blatchley, 1920). The medial tooth is long and bent inward and downward. The ovipositor is as long as the body or longer and is slightly curved. The tegmina are usually very short, reaching only about a quarter of the way along the abdomen. Long-winged forms have been observed but are rare.
Singing Behavior: Despite the very short wings of this species, the males stridulate, producing either long series of dry buzzes or series of shorter clicks (see examples on the Macaulay Library). Two examples are shown in this account, both recorded on the same visit where adult saltans were observed. The more continuous song was recorded at night and the broken series during the day, but mixtures of both were present in the same recordings made by Walker in Florida (Macaulay Library, accessed 2024-12). Syllables are produced in pairs or triplets, with a rate of 43 syllables per second recorded in the more continuous song made at night at about 70 F (21 C). The lower end of the frequency range of both songs falls within the normal range of human hearing. However, the amplitude is fairly low making them audible only at fairly close range.
Recording playback at normal speed.
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Recording playback at normal speed.
Download Video: "MP4"

Distribution in North Carolina


County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Adult Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Blatchley (1920) described this species as xerophilous, associated with dry upland prairies and sandy barrens. Populations have been found in association with Andropogon and other dry bunch-grasses, New Jersey Tea, Sweetfern, Lupine, Wild Indigo, and Huckleberries. In North Carolina, Fulton (1932) described it as common in xeric grasslands. Recent observations include the edge of a wildlife food plot in an area otherwise supporting a xeric barrens dominated by Bluejack and Sand Post Oaks. Saltans has also been recently found in a large area of weedy Sandhills forbs in an area maintained as a paratrooper drop zone. Both of these areas appear to have substantial amounts of clay in soils, which promotes the growth of a diverse assemblage of forbs.

Diet: Individuals have been observed on forbs but their dietary range needs to be more fully documented.

Observation Methods: Best found by flushing individuals by walking through their habitat

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology: Our records indicate only one generation per year, with adults emerging late in the season.

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status: [W3]

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S2S3

State Protection:

Comments: More surveys are needed to document the conservation status of this species in North Carolina. However, apart from a single recent record, this species has not been collected in the state since the 1950s and appears to be at least very uncommon and strongly restricted to xeric barrens and dry meadows.

Image Gallery for Conocephalus saltans - Prairie Meadow Katydid
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Richmond Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ed Corey Scotland Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Ed Corey Scotland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment: Collected two females and one male in a neglected wildlife food plot with successional forbs taking over	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment: Recorded during the day at the same site where adults were observed
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment: One male was recorded singing but not seen; 43 syllables per second at about 70 F at 21:30.

Conocephalus saltans (Scudder, 1872) - Prairie Meadow Katydid

Image Gallery for Conocephalus saltans - Prairie Meadow Katydid