Orthoptera of North Carolina
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View Tetrigidae Members: NC Records

Paxilla obesa (Scudder, 1877) - Obese Pygmy Grasshopper

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Taxonomy
Family: Tetrigidae Subfamily: Batrachideinae Tribe:
Species Status: Paxilla is one of two genera in the subfamily Batrachideinae, characterized by the possession of antennae with over 19 segments; middle femurs possessing a broad shallow channel on the dorsal surface; and the front margin of the pronotum usually rounded or extending over the head (Hancock, 1906; Blatchley, 1920). In the Tetriginae, the antennae have fewer than 15 segments; the middle femurs are laterally compressed and carinate dorsally; and the front edge of the pronotum is usually truncate except in Nomotettix, where it is angulate and projecting forward.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: Illustrated in Helfer (1987), Google Images,  iNaturalist, GBIF                                                                                  
Comments: A strongly swollen, dark brown species with lighter patches (Blatchley, 1920; Helfer, 1987). In some individuals, the upper surface of the pronotum is much lighter than the lower portion.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 9-14.5 mm (Helfer, 1987)
Structural Features: The body of this species is swollen in appearance, with the pronotum strongly arched well above the level of the head and terminating before the end of the abdomen; lateral carinae are missing (Helfer, 1987). Other members of this subfamily, in the genus Tettigidea, are much more slender in appearance and possess lateral carinae and a flattened dorsal field on the pronotum.
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Paxilla obesa
Adult Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Rehn and Hebard (1915) described obesa as "restricted to low, blackish, water-soaked ground covered with low bog plants (sun-dews, pitcher plants, etc.), in pine woods (long-leaf pine at all of the localities except Yemassee, where the forest was composed of the short-leaf species which is sometimes found in this region near swamps, so that even in it- limited range it- distribution is markedly discontinuous." Hubbell (1925) collected it at the margin of a dry cypress pond surrounded by pine woodlands in northern Florida. In Georgia, he found it in a patch of swampy woods with Swamp Blackgum, also bordered by a grove of Longleaf Pines. Hancock (1902) mentions one specimen collected from along a riverbank in Florida and "in the neighborhood of a swampy place." From these descriptions, this species appears to inhabit the shorelines of wetlands embedded within pine savannas, including depression ponds but possibly also including pocosin ecotones.
Diet: Algae and decaying material in mud
Observation Methods:
Abundance/Frequency:
Adult Phenology:
See also Habitat Account for Longleaf Pine Woodlands with Isolated Pools
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W3]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SH
State Protection:
Comments: All of our records for this species appear to be more than 100 years old and were few in number to begin with. Rehn and Hebard (1915) found it as far north as New Bern but the majority of the records for this species are from Florida. Surveys need to be conducted in order to determine its current status as a resident species in North Carolina and to determine its range, abundance, and habitat preferences in our state.