Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Amblycorypha longinicta Walker, 2004 - Common Virtuoso Katydid

Taxonomy

Family: Tettigoniidae	Subfamily: Phaneropterinae	Tribe: Amblycoryphini	Synonym: Amblycorypha uhleri
Comments: One of seventeen species in this genus that occur in North America (Cigliano et al., accessed 2024-09-25; Forrest et al., 2023). Eight species have been recorded in North Carolina.
Species Status: Belongs to the Uhleri Species Group of Walker (2004).

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Capineira et al. (2004)	Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF	Technical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Walker (2004)	SINA 004a.htm
Comments: The body color is green, with only the stridulatory area of the males colored brown. Males of this species group have four dark marks on the outside of the pronotal disk. No distinctive differences in color or pattern appear to distinguish longinicta from arenicola, but this species is smaller and can be identified by tegmina length and other morphometric measurements (see Walker, 2004). The songs of the males of the two species are the most reliable way of distinguishing them.
Forewing Length: 24-27 mm, males; 22-27 mm, females (Walker, 2004)
Structural Features: Members of the Uhleri Species Group possess a deep humeral sinus on the pronotum. Ovipositors are no longer than 10 mm. In addition to differences in the length of the tegmina, longinicta has shorter pronotum lengths than arenicola: 4.7-5.3 vs 5.3-5.9 in males and 4.6-5.7 vs. 5.4-6.6 in females (Walker, 2004). Males also differ in the length of the stridulatory file and in the number of teeth, with those of longinicta shorter and fewer than in arenicola (see Figure 5 in Walker, 2004).
Singing Behavior: Songs of the species in this group may be the most complex of any insect sound (Walker, 2004).
Nymphal Stages and Development: Eggs are laid in the ground, with some not hatching for up to three years (Walker, 2004).

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: According to Walker (2004), this species occupies old fields, road margins, and woodland edges, all with abundant herbaceous vegetation. Its habitats are more mesic than the dry-xeric sandhills occupied by arenicola. Longinicta is usually found fairly low to the ground whereas arenicola is often seen perching in scrub oaks.

Diet:

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Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S2S4]

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Amblycorypha longinicta - Common Virtuoso Katydid
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:

Amblycorypha longinicta Walker, 2004 - Common Virtuoso Katydid

Image Gallery for Amblycorypha longinicta - Common Virtuoso Katydid