Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Conocephalus spartinae (Fox, 1912) - Saltmarsh Meadow Katydid

Long-winged male, brown form

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

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF

SINA 235a.htm

Comments: Males and females are typically a bright grass-green color, but a light brown form is also seen occasionally (Fox, 1912). The occiput and dorsal medial stripe of the pronotum are brown. The terminal half of the abdomen is a light orange in males but somewhat darker in females. Tegmina are clear but slightly tinged with brown. The femora are all green and covered with small dark reddish brown spots. Male cerci are normally green but light olive in the brown form. This species is very similar in coloration to C. brevipennis but can be distinguished by the male cerci, including by their typically green rather than brown color (Rehn and Hebard, 1915).

Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: Fastigium to tip of supra-anal plate: 10.8-13.5 mm, males; 11-15 mm., females (Fox, 1912)

Structural Features: Male cerci are distinctive but similar to those of nigropleuroides, having a bulbous swelling towards the base, just above the mesial tooth, and a depressed apical portion and a rounded apex.

Structural photos

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: Salt marshes, especially in association with Spartina patens but also occasionally seen in Juncus marshes or on grasses on the shores next to marshes (Fox, 1912; Rehn and Hebard, 1915)

Diet:

Observation Methods:

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology:

See also Habitat Account for Salt and Brackish Marshes

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] [S2S4]

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Conocephalus spartinae - Saltmarsh Meadow Katydid
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment: Long-winged male, brown form

Conocephalus spartinae (Fox, 1912) - Saltmarsh Meadow Katydid

Image Gallery for Conocephalus spartinae - Saltmarsh Meadow Katydid