Short-winged Meadow Katydid (Conocephalus brevipennis)
Song of a Short-winged Meadow Katydid (scroll down for explanation and additional recordings!).
Numerous and widespread in the East, the Short-winged Meadow Katydid is easily overlooked because of its small size and its faint, high-pitched song. Recognized by its bright green body, yellow-orange rear, and a dark brown band that runs from the top of its head back to its wings. Most, but not all, individuals have short wings (note the long-winged male below). Found in areas of coarse weeds, grassy fields, and roadsides, in dry or wet areas. When approached, an individual will stretch out along the underside of a blade of grass, making it very difficult to spot. Easily disturbed, Short- winged Meadow Katydids are very good jumpers, making them difficult to catch.
Occasionally, long-winged individuals are found in a population. As you would expect, they can fly better and farther than the normal-winged individuals and are often found at lights. Long-winged individuals are call macropterous.
Short-winged Meadow Katydids range from northern Maine, south through Florida, west to central Texas, and back north to eastern South Dakota and central Minnesota. They can be amazingly abundant in their preferred habitat of grassy fields and overgrown pastures. This species can be very easily seen at night by searching the seed heads of grasses such as Timothy grass and Foxtail grass.
Song: Song is composed of one to five ticks followed by a faint buzz lasting several seconds. Extremely high pitched, with most of the sound energy from 10–20 kHz. Sings both day and night. Although the song is loud, it is so high pitched that many people cannot hear it, even up close.
Sonogram of a Short-winged Meadow Katydid. © Wil Hershberger.
Short-winged Meadow Katydid
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Spring and Fall Field Cricket
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Eastern Striped Cricket
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Ground Crickets (Nemobiinae):
Allard’s Ground Cricket
Carolina Ground Cricket
Confused Ground Cricket
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Southern Ground Cricket
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Tree Crickets (Oecanthinae):
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Davis’s Tree Cricket
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Two-spotted Tree Cricket
Trigs and Bush Crickets (Eneopterinae & Trigonidiinae):
Jumping Bush Cricket
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Slow-tinkling Trig
Mole Crickets (Gryllotalpidae):
Northern Mole Cricket
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FAMILY DESCRIPTION
Saltmarsh Meadow Katydid
Short-winged Meadow Katydid
Slender Meadow Katydid
Woodland Meadow Katydid
Black-sided Meadow Katydid
Long-tailed Meadow Katydid
Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid
Agile Meadow Katydid
Dusky-faced Meadow Katydid
Stripe-faced Meadow Katydid
Nimble Meadow Katydid
Black-legged Meadow Katydid
Common Meadow Katydid
Gladiator Meadow Katydid
Handsome Meadow Katydid
Lesser Pine Meadow Katydid
Long-spurred Meadow Katydid
Red-headed Meadow Katydid
Coneheads (Copiphorinae):
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
Round-tipped Conehead
Nebraska Conehead
Robust Conehead
Slightly Musical Conehead
Sword-bearing Conehead
False Robust Conehead
Marsh Conehead
Black-nosed Conehead
True Katydids (Pseudophyllinae):
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
Common True Katydid
False Katydids (Phaneropterinae):
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
Clicker Round-winged Katydid
Common Virtuoso Katydid
Rattler Round-winged Katydid
Oblong-winged Katydid
Great Angle-wing
Lesser Angle-wing
Broad-winged Bush Katydid
Curved-tailed Bush Katydid
Fork-tailed Bush Katydid
Northern Bush Katydid
Texas Bush Katydid
Treetop Bush Katydid
Modest Katydid
Shield-backed Katydids (Tettigoniinae):
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
American Shieldback
Least Shieldback
Protean Shieldback
Robust Shieldback
Roesel’s Katydid
Band-winged Grasshoppers (Oedipodinae):
Boll’s & Carolina Grasshoppers
Marsh Meadow Grasshopper