Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Orchelimum minor Bruner, 1891 - Lesser Pine Katydid

Taxonomy

Family: Tettigoniidae	Subfamily: Conocephalinae	Tribe: Conocephalini
Comments: One of nineteen species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Cigliano et al., 2018), thirteen of which have been recorded in North Carolina

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Elliott and Hershberger (2006)

Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF

SINA 256a.htm

Comments: This is a strongly red, green, and brown variegated species, well suited to blend in with its pine top habitats. Its dorsal surface is dark, reddish-brown, its eyes and tibiae of all legs are a lighter reddish brown, the femurs are all pine-green as are bands on the sides of its body. Black lateral bands are also present on the abdomen and pale streaks are present on the lateral carina of the pronotum and tegmina.

Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: Body length: 15-16.5 mm, males; 15.4-19 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)

Forewing Length: 15-16.6 mm, males, 14.8-17.5 mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)

Structural photos

Singing Behavior: The songs of this species consist of series of tick-buzzes, similar in pattern to Orchelimum erythrocephalum but with each of the buzzes much shorter in duration. These combinations of tick-buzzes are closely spaced, but with longer gaps separating bouts of singing. As in other katydids, these pulses extend over a wide range of frequencies, which on a spectrogram appear as a wide vertical band. The lowest pitch is around 10 kHz, which is above the range of hearing for many humans. The ticks that precede each buzz -- visible in spectrograms -- appear to be audible only at close range. Allard (1910, cited by Blatchley, 1920) described the song as a "succession of brief, silken lisps followed by a pause about as long, then repeated s-s-s-s-s ---- s-s-s-s-s ---- s-s-s-s-s." Eliott and Hershberger (2006) also describe it as "an evenly spaced series of high-pitched shuffling trills, each lasting about a second." For those people who can hear them, "the shuffles of pine katydids combine to create a blanket of restful sound." The songs of Atlanticus pachymerus also consist of series of buzzes separated by pauses but appear to lack the ticks that characterize the songs of Orchelimum species (see examples on the Macaulay Library).

Recording playback at half-speed. (Slower, lower-pitched, usually more audible version.)

Download Video: "MP4"

Nymphal Stages and Development:

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: This species is highly tied to pines, but appears to make use of a wide range of species.

Diet: Given their tight association with pines, this species probably feeds on pine needles. Like other katydids, however, they may also feed on small insects as well.

Observation Methods: This species is active day and night but spends most of its time high up in pine trees and is rarely seen on the ground. The best time to look for them is in the fall, after cold windy nights when they are blown down to the ground. They can also be attracted to sugar bait painted on the trunks of their pines (Blatchley, 1920). The song is so high-pitched that it is often overlooked if heard at all.

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology:

See also Habitat Account for General Pine Forests and Woodlands

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S3S4]

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Orchelimum minor - Lesser Pine Katydid
	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Mark Basinger, and Gary Perlmutter Richmond Co. Comment: Inaudible to the observers. Recorded using an iPhone	Recorded by: Steve Hall Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Laurie Hamon, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard, and Pat Coin Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Becky Elkin, Jim Petranka, and Mark Basinger Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Becky Elkin, Jim Petranka, and Mark Basinger Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Savannah Hall Chatham Co. Comment: Found on the ground after a cool, windy night	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Savannah Hall Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Buncombe Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Kevin Markham Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment: Found next to a porch light
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Robeson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Orange Co. Comment:

Orchelimum minor Bruner, 1891 - Lesser Pine Katydid

Image Gallery for Orchelimum minor - Lesser Pine Katydid