Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Scudderia fasciata Beutenmüller, 1894 - Treetop Bush Katydid

Taxonomy

Family: Tettigoniidae	Subfamily: Phaneropterinae	Tribe: Scudderiini
Comments: One of seven species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Cigliano et al., 2018), six of which have been recorded in North Carolina

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF

SINA 067a.htm

Comments: This is a dark green species with distinctive dark lines along the tegmina (Beutenmueller, 1894). The upper edge (inner margin) of the tegmina when folded is brownish yellow and bordered below with a blackish shade. A similar blackish line is located in the lower portion of the wing along the thick, ulnar vein (Beutenmueller said along the costa, but this is not marked in the specimens we have observed). The head is green, with a white line on the front and yellow or while lines on the sides. The lateral carina of the pronotum marked with yellow. The underside of the abdomen is distinctively marked with purple and white and the tarsi are all marked with purplish-brown.

Forewing Length: 25 mm, males; 21-23 mm, females (Beutenmueller, 1894)

Structural Features: The external reproductive structures are very similar to those of furcata, with a strongly inflated fork at the end of the supranal plate.

Structural photos

Singing Behavior: Songs consist of brief tzip centered on 15 khz and given at about 0.5 second intervals (Elliot and Hershberger, 2007). These are very similar to those of Scudderia furcata, but may be distinguished by the location of the singer: at the tops of trees in the case of fasciata and in shrubs or lower portions of trees in the case of furcata.

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: Males typically are heard calling from the tops of trees, particularly conifers.

Diet: This species appears to prefer conifers, including both White Pines and Hemlocks. It has also been found in hardwood trees, however.

Observation Methods:

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology:

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks:

State Protection:

Comments:

Image Gallery for Scudderia fasciata - Treetop Bush Katydid
	Recorded by: K. Bischof Transylvania Co. Comment:	Recorded by: K. Bischof Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Owen McConnell Graham Co. Comment:

Scudderia fasciata Beutenmüller, 1894 - Treetop Bush Katydid

Image Gallery for Scudderia fasciata - Treetop Bush Katydid