Slightly Musical Conehead (Neoconocephalus exiliscanorus)
Formerly called Long-beaked Conehead, the Slightly Musical Conehead has the longest head adornment of all the coneheads. Its cone is black beneath, with a small hooklike crevice on the underside. This elegant-looking species is found in a variety of habitats, ranging from wetlands to cornfields, but in all situations it requires an abundance of water. Green and brown morphs occur in most populations. Considered by some scientists to be an indicator species for wetlands — if it is missing from a wetland within its range, there may be a problem with the ecological health of that habitat.
Song of a Slightly Musical Conehead.
Song: A spirited series of bright raspy buzzes that have a “slightly musical” quality, at least when compared to other conehead songs: zee-zee-zee-zee-zee . . . Song peaks at around 12 kHz and is given at a rate of about three buzzes per second. All of the males in a particular area sing in unison, creating a hypnotic nocturne that is pleasing to the ear.
Sonogram of a Slightly Musical Conehead. © Wil Hershberger.
Slightly Musical Conehead
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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
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Dusky-faced Meadow Katydid
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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