Songs of Insects

Stripe-faced Meadow Katydid (Orchelimum concinnum)

Song of a Stripe-faced Meadow Katydid, ©Wil Hershberger 2017.

Stripe-faced Meadow Katydids are named for the bold, yet variable strip down the center of their faces. The head is cream-colored with mottling along the back edge creating a network of markings. The stripe down the center of the face seems to darken as the season progresses (per. obs. Carl Strang). The legs and body are bright green. The underside of the abdomen is yellow and the wings are brownish with green veins. Their eyes are reddish, often wine-colored. This species can be found in many habitats from wetlands to dry, weedy fields from mid-August through to frost.

Left cercus of Stripe-faced Meadow Katydid

• click to enlarge •

Stripe-faced Meadow Katydids occur all along the eastern seaboard from Vermont to south Texas. They are also found in eastern Illinois, most of Indiana, southern Michigan, and western Ohio.

Song: The song of the Stripe-faced Meadow Katydid is composed of high-pitched, squeaky trills separated by evenly spaced sounds. These shorter “ticks” are single pulses that are used to compose the trills rather than the typical, very brief ticks of most meadow katydids. The main frequency of the buzzes is around 17 kHz.

Sonagram of Orchelimum concinnum song.