LONG-SPURRED MEADOW KATYDID

LONG-SPURRED MEADOW KATYDID

Orchelimum silvaticum
KATYDIDS (Tettigoniidae)

Click on each photo thumbnail to enlarge.

A small green katydid, about an inch long (25 mm), with bright orange eyes, reddish brown along the top of the abdomen and yellow cerci.  It gets its name from the shape of the male cerci (the yellow structure at the end of the abdomen) in that the spurs on the cerci are much longer than other meadow katydids.  It is similar in appearance to the Common Meadow Katydid and about the same size.

 

This is a midwestern species found from Ohio westward to southern South Dakota and south to the Gulf of Mexico. It is probably rare in this area since this is the western edge of its distribution.  It is an arboreal species and is fond of junipers and cedars.

 

It has a high pitched song consisting of loud stuttering ticks that blend into a long shuffling trill. They can be seen from August through October.

 

Disclaimer: The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Loren Padelford.