Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Conocephalus strictus (Scudder, 1875) - Straight-Lanced Meadow Katydid

Male

Female

Nymph

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 238a.htm

Comments: A small (large for the genus), short-winged Lesser Meadow Katydid. The head and sides of thorax and abdomen are green and a brown dorsal stripe runs from the fastigium and occiput of the head down the length of the thorax and abdomen. This stripe is bordered by white or pale yellowish, particularly on the head but also along the lateral carinae of the thorax and the lateral edges of the abdomen in some cases. In females, the dorsal field of the tegmina is a pale brown or off-white, contrasting with the dark brown on the lateral field. In males, the stridulatory field can be blackish and the remainder of the wings contrastingly pale. Odontoxiphidium apterum and the green form of Conocephalus saltans are similar in color and pattern, all having the the distinct pale stripe bordering the brown dorsal surface and the green sides. Structural characters may be needed in order to distinguish between them.

Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 14-15 mm, males; 17-18 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)

Structural Features: Although long-winged species are occasionally observed, wings are typically short in both sexes. The tegmina are about half the length of the abdomen in males and a third of the length in females (Blatchley, 1920). Females possess very long, straight ovipositors which are always longer than the hind femur and are up to 14 mm in length. Male cerci also have an elongated apical portion that is subacuminate (Blatchely, 1920).

Structural photos

Singing Behavior: Fulton (1932) described the song as continuous with only breaks of a fraction of a second at irregular intervals. Unlike other members of this genus, the songs of this species lack the series of staccato notes that are interspersed between the longer buzzes (Allard, 1914, in Blatchley, 1920). To human ears, the song is a "very faint fluttering sound, audible only a few feet away" (Fulton, 1932).

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) describes the habitat of this species as consisting of "dry upland meadows, open pastures, and prairies".

Diet:

Observation Methods:

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology:

See also Habitat Account for General Successional and Semi-Natural Grasslands

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S5

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Conocephalus strictus - Straight-Lanced Meadow Katydid
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Bladen Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Bladen Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Savannah Hall Orange Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Sampson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Sampson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Bladen Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Bladen Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Greene Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Greene Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Columbus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Columbus Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Burke Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: H. Quay Orange Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Michael P. Morales Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Iredell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Duplin Co. Comment:	Recorded by: J.Williams Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J.Williams Durham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: E. Corey Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Anderson and E. Corey Wake Co. Comment:	Recorded by: E. Corey and C. Dykstra Beaufort Co. Comment:

Conocephalus strictus (Scudder, 1875) - Straight-Lanced Meadow Katydid

Image Gallery for Conocephalus strictus - Straight-Lanced Meadow Katydid