Songs of Insects

American Shieldback (Atlanticus americanus)

Song of an American Shieldback (scroll down for explanation and additional recordings!).

Reddish brown in color, the American Shieldback has an elongate appearance. Its legs are longer than those of most other members of its genus (only the southeastern Robust Shieldback has longer legs), and its very short wings barely extend from below its shieldlike midsection. This species is found in wooded areas, where males sing from low vegetation or from the sides of trees. Once seen, they are easy to capture.

American Shieldback

 
 
Song: A steady series of very high pitched, swishing rattles. Each rattle lasts approximately half a second, with a quarter of a second pause between. The male sings for about a minute, then is silent for about a minute, then sings again. Song has a very wide frequency range, with most energy concentrated around 15 kHz and above.

 
 
Sonogram of an American Shieldback. © Wil Hershberger.