Songs of Insects

Rattler Round-winged Katydid (Amblycorypha rotundifolia)

Song of a Rattler Round-winged Katydid (scroll down for explanation and additional recordings!).

Abundant though seldom seen, the bright green Rattler Round-winged Katydid is an excellent leaf mimic. Moving about slowly and deliberately, these katydids are difficult to locate, even when one is singing right in front of you. Unusual color morphs, such as the absolutely amazing pink specimen pictured below, are rarely encountered. This species seems loaded with personality — when confronted, one will turn and look at you as if to say, “What do you think you’re doing?” They rarely fly. When disturbed, they weakly jump away. Females are more bluish in color than the males, and they have a prominent upturned, serrated ovipositor. Adults are very susceptible to frosts and do not survive the first couple of freezing nights. Found along the edges of woods in brushy vegetation and in second-growth habitats.

Rattler Round-winged Katydid

Insert Pink form image here.
Song: A high-pitched swishy rattle with a frequency of around 12 kHz. Often gives a song-series consisting of 10–20 brief rattles lasting about one second each followed by a long terminal rattle.

 
Sonogram of a Rattler Round-winged Katydid. © Wil Hershberger.