Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Pyrgocorypha uncinata (Harris, 1841) - Hook-Faced Conehead

Taxonomy

Family: Tettigoniidae	Subfamily: Copiphorinae	Tribe: Copiphorini
Comments: This is the sole species in this genus in North America, with 15 other species found in the Neotropics and eastern and southern Asia (Cigliano et al., accessed 2024)

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:	Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF	SINA 201a.htm
Comments: This species is similar in appearance to the members of Neoconocephalus but has a sharply pointed fastigium with a downward pointing, hooked-shaped tip rather than a blunt-tipped or rounded cone. Males are uniformly brown but females can be either brown or green. The mandibles are black, unlike the orange ones possessed by Neoconocephalus triops.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: Body Length: 32-34 mm, males; 32-37 mm, females (Blatchely, 1920)	Forewing Length: 37-42 mm, males; 42-46, females (Blatchely, 1920)
Structural Features: The fastigium is flattened above and highly rugose. The disk and lateral lobes of the pronotum are also rugose-punctate (Blatchely, 1920). Overall, this species is less gracile than the Neoconocephalus and has shorter legs; the hind femur usually does not reach past the end of the abdomen. In lateral view, they are somewhat hump-backed, with the pronotum with a strong downward slope to the head. The cerci of the males are stout, subcylindrical, incurved, and ending it two claw-like appendages. The ovipositer is slender, straight, and of uniform width. It is also relatively short, not reaching the end of the tegmina.
Singing Behavior: Songs consist of continuous trains of pulses separated by distinct but short pauses. Each pulse consists of an initial low amplitude buzz followed abruptly by one that is much higher in amplitude. The frequency ranges from around 9.5 kHz to over 20 kHz. Only the lower portion is audible to the human ear and sounds (to the author at least) like a series of faint shuffling notes.
Recording playback at half-speed. (Slower, lower-pitched, usually more audible version.)
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: Adults and juveniles can be found in low herbaceous vegetation. Males are also reported to sing from the tops of trees (Blatchely, 1920)

Diet:

Observation Methods: Adults and juveniles can be collected by sweeping herbaceous vegetation or can be occasionally attracted to moth sheets. Although the songs are distinctive, they are usually too high-pitched to be heard easily.

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology: There is only a single brood per year, with adults maturing in late summer and overwintering in that stage. Reproductive activity occurs in the early spring, with males heard singing in April and May in North Carolina (Fulton, 1951)

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks:

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Pyrgocorypha uncinata - Hook-Faced Conehead
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason Durham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka Madison 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: Mark Basinger McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger McDowell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George and Steve Hall Chatham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Dee Stuckey, and Savannah Hall Orange Co. Comment: Several adults observed moving around and stridulating in a mixed patch of blackberries and poison ivy located at the edge of a field. Recorded using a mp3 voice recorder
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Paul Hart Alamance Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson Orange Co. Comment:	Recorded by: John Petranka Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason Durham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Owen McConnell Granville Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Pat Momich Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Pat Momich Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan Craven Co. Comment:	Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan Craven Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Scott Snide Wake Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Scott Snide Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Scott Snide Wake Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan Jones Co. Comment: Specimen collected in a light trap	Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Ed Corey Surry Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J. Wyche Gates Co. Comment:	Recorded by: J. Wyche Gates Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Recorded by: E. Corey Wake Co. Comment:

Pyrgocorypha uncinata (Harris, 1841) - Hook-Faced Conehead

Image Gallery for Pyrgocorypha uncinata - Hook-Faced Conehead