Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Microcentrum rhombifolium (Saussure, 1859) - Greater Angle-Wing

Taxonomy

Family: Tettigoniidae

Subfamily: Phaneropterinae

Tribe: Microcentrini

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF

SINA 031a.htm

Comments: This species is generally a dark, grass green (Blatchely, 1920), with yellow-green on the face, fore-and mid-legs and the anterior half of the pronotum. Microcentrum retinerve is comparatively paler green, again with yellow green on the head, legs, and thorax.

Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 25-28mm, males; 28-30mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)

Forewing Length: 42-45mm, males; 43-47mm, females (Blatchley, 1920)

Structural Features: The front edge of the pronotum is sinuate and has a small median tooth; in retinerve, the front margin is truncate. In males, the cerci of rhombifolium are incurved and have a sharp point at the apex; in retinerve, the cerci are not incurved, are strongly widened towards the tip, and have a blunt apex. In females, the ovipositor of rhombifolium is subtruncate or broadly rounded at the apex; in retinerve, the apex is attenuate or narrowly rounded.

Structural photos

Singing Behavior: Males have two distinct song types. The first is a series of uniformly well-spaced ticks with the interval between ticks about 2-3 seconds (Fulton, 1932). The second is a more rapid, but again uniformly separated ticks, given at a rate of 7 to 8 per second (Fulton, 1932).

Recording playback at normal speed.

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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: Rehn and Hebard (1916) report collecting this species from grass, heavy undergrowth in pine forests, and in a Wax Myrtle on a barrier island. Fulton (1932) also said it uses both trees and shrubs in North Carolina. At a site in Moore County, where we have recorded it several times, it appears to be using Black Cherries or fairly short, ornamental trees. In Florida, it is common on Citrus

Diet:

Observation Methods:

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology:

See also Habitat Account for Forest-Field Ecotones and Groves

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S4S5

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Microcentrum rhombifolium - Greater Angle-Wing
	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Laurie Hamon, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard, and Pat Coin Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Bo Sullivan, Jim Petranka Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan Jones Co. Comment:

Microcentrum rhombifolium (Saussure, 1859) - Greater Angle-Wing

Image Gallery for Microcentrum rhombifolium - Greater Angle-Wing