Orthoptera of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):

View	Tettigoniidae Members:	NC Records
Atlanticus pachymerus (Burmeister, 1838) - Southern Protean Shieldback

Female

Male

Taxonomy

Family: Tettigoniidae	Subfamily: Tettigoniinae	Tribe: Drymadusini
Species Status: This species appears to be closely related to A. testaceus, with which it has sometimes been combined (e.g., SINA, 2017). However, it is treated as a separate species in the Orthopteran Species File (OSF, 2017) and is distinct in several characters, including the tegmina of the males, which are much shorter than in testacea (Rehn and Hebard, 1916b). We follow OSF and Rehn and Hebard in treating the two as separate species and use their names for specimens Rehn and Hebard collected in North Carolina. While there is some possibility that both species could occur in North Carolina, Rehn and Hebard did not know of any specimens of testaceus from farther south than Arlington, VA and we have not seen any specimens -- particularly males -- that show the characteristics of testaceus. Genetic analysis would be helpful in resolving the taxonomy of this genus. However, too few specimens have currently been examined and BOLD does not provide any trees based on bar-coding that are available to the public.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:	Online Photographs: BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, GBIF
Comments: Average body length: 24.4 mm, NC males (n=4); 24.0, NC females (n=7) (Rehn and Hebard, 1916b). Length of pronotum: 9.1, NC males; 10.1, NC females. Length of hind femur: 20.6, NC males; 22.8, NC females.
Structural Features: The tegmina in the male extend less than half the length of the pronotum, compared to testaceus, where the "tegmina of male projecting caudad of the pronotal disk a distance considerably exceeding half the pronotal length" (Rehn and Hebard, 1916b; illustrated in Plate 6). The tegmina are somewhat produced (angulate) compared to the rounded apices in monticola and davisi.
Singing Behavior: Songs consist of high pitched buzzes that are either more-or-less continuous or regularly broken into short phrases; the separation between phrases is usually equal in length or shorter than the phrases themselves. The dominant pitch is about 15 kHz but the frequency range extends above 22 kHz. The lower portion of the song -- below 11 kHz -- sounds like a fluttery, pulsating buzz to human ears, if it can be heard at all.
Recording playback at normal speed.
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Recording playback at half-speed. (Slower, lower-pitched, usually more audible version.)
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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

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Status in North Carolina

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Image Gallery for Atlanticus pachymerus - Southern Protean Shieldback
	Recorded by: David George and Steve Hall Chatham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard, Pat Coin, David George, Jeff Niznik, Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Parker Backstrom Chatham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Montgomery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Montgomery Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Montgomery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Rowan Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Rowan Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: T. Howard Stokes Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David L. Heavner Chatham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: David L. Heavner Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Savannah Hall Orange Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall Moore Co. Comment: Individual not seen but the song is similar in pattern to several in the Macaulay Library (accessed 2021-06-10) that were recorded in Moore County
	Recorded by: J. Oksnevad Gaston Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Julie Tuttle Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Orange Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Orange Co. Comment: Male, with short, somewhat produced (pointed) tegmina and short hind femora
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Randolph Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Montgomery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Montgomery Co. Comment:	Recorded by: E. Corey Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: ASH Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Stephen Hall Brunswick Co. Comment:

Atlanticus pachymerus (Burmeister, 1838) - Southern Protean Shieldback

Image Gallery for Atlanticus pachymerus - Southern Protean Shieldback