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   nymph of katydid
  Nymph of Greater Anglewing

Katydids and crickets can be separated from grasshoppers by their long antennae (longer than body). Immature orthopterans do not pass through a pupal stage and look much like smaller versions of the adults with stubby wings.

 

 

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Singing Insects of North America
 
 

Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, crickets) of Ojibway

female Two-spotted Tree-cricket
A female Two-spotted Tree-cricket.

Grasshopper, crickets and katydids belong to the insect order Orthoptera (meaning "straight-wing") and are best known for their powerful hind limbs and ability to jump. There is a single generation per year with adults most commonly present in late summer. A few species overwinter as nymphs and the adults appear in spring or early summer.

There are 49 species recorded in the Ojibway area. Species such as Short-winged Green Grasshopper, Scudder's Short-winged Grasshopper and Say's Bush Cricket have affinities to prairie habitat while others such as Walsh's Grasshopper, Davis's Tree Cricket, Two-spotted Tree Crickets and Eastern Ant Cricket are southern species rarely recorded in Canada.

Many katydids and crickets can be more easily identified by song than by sight. Many species are accomphished singers and the park is alive with song on warm summer and early autumn evenings. The Snowy Tree Cricket is well known as the "temperature cricket". Count the number of chirps in 13 seconds and add 40 to calculate the temperature (F.).
Here is a 13 second MP3 recording of Snowy Tree Cricket taken at Ojibway. What was the temperature?

Ojibway Grasshoppers

      Acrididae
  • Chloealtus conspersa Harris   Sprinkled grasshopper
  • Dichromorpha viridis (Scudder)   Short-winged Green Grasshopper
  • Melanoplus bivittatus (Say)   Two-striped Grasshopper
  • Melanoplus confusus (Scudder)   Little or Pasture Grasshopper
  • Melanoplus differentialis differentialis (Thomas)   Differential Grasshopper
  • Melanoplus f. femurrumbrum (De Geer)   Red-legged Grasshopper
  • Melanoplus islandicus Blatchley   Forest or Graceful Grasshopper
  • Melanoplus punctulatus griseus (Thomas)   Griseous Grasshopper
  • Melanoplus scudderi scudderi (Uhler)   Scudder's Short-winged Grasshopper
  • Melanoplus walshii Scudder   Walsh's Grasshopper
      Oedipodinae, Band-winged grasshoppers
  • Arphia sulphurea (Fabricius)   Spring yellow-winged grasshopper
  • Chortophaga viridifasciata (DeGeer)   Green-striped grasshopper
  • Dissosteria carolina (Linnaeus)   Carolina Grasshopper
  • Spharagemon bolli bolli Scudder   Boll's Grasshopper
      Tetrigidae
  • Paratettix cucullatus (Burmeister)   Hooded Pygmy Grasshopper
  • Tetrix arenosa angusta (Hancock)   Obscure Pygmy Grasshopper
      Batrachidae
  • Tettigidea lateralis lateralis (Say)   Sedge Pygmy Grasshopper
      Tridactylidae
  • Ellipes minutus minutus (Scudder)   Minute Pygmy Grasshopper

(click on image to enlarge)

Differential Grasshopper, Melanoplus d. differentialis Melanoplus bivittatus, Two-striped Grasshopper Short-winged Green Grasshopper, Dichromorpha viridis
Differential Grasshopper
Melanoplus d. differentialis
Two-striped Grasshopper
Melanoplus bivittatus
Short-winged Green Grasshopper
Dichromorpha viridis
Red-legged Grasshopper, Melanoplus femurrubrum Melanoplus punctulatus griseus, Griseous Grasshopper Spring Yellow-winged Grasshopper, Arphia sulphurea
Red-legged Grasshopper
Melanoplus f. femurrubrum
Griseous Grasshopper
Melanoplus punctulatus griseus
Spring Yellow-winged Grasshopper
Arphia sulphurea
Say's Bush Cricket, Anaxipha exigua Roesel's Bush-cricket, Metrioptera roeselii
Say's Bush Cricket
 Anaxipha exigua
Roesel's Katydid
 Metrioptera roeselii

Ojibway Crickets and Katydids

      Rhaphidophoridae
  • Ceuthophilus brevipes Scudder   Short-legged Camel Cricket
  • Ceuthophilus meridionalis Scudder   Striped Camel Cricket
      Tettigoniidae - Conocephalinae
  • Conocephalus brevipennis (Scudder)   Short-winged Meadow Katydid
  • Conocephalus nigropleurum (Bruner)   Black-sided Meadow Katydid
  • Neoconocephalus ensiger (Harris)   Sword-bearing Conehead
  • Orchelimum gladiator Bruner   Gladiator Meadow Katydid
  • Orchelimum nigripes Scudder   Black-legged Meadow Katydid
  • Orchelimum vulgare Harris   Common Meadow Katydid
      Tettigoniidae - Tettigoniinae
  • Metrioptera roeselii   Roesel's Katydid
      Tettigoniidae - Phaneropterinae
  • Amblycorypha oblongifolia (De Geer)   Oblong-winged Katydid
  • Microcentrum rhombifolium (Saussure)   Angle-winged Katydid
  • Scudderia curvicauda curvicauda (DeGeer)   Curve-tailed Bush Katydid
  • Scudderia furcata furcata Brunner von Wattenwyl   Fork-tailed Bush Katydid
  • Scudderia texensis Saussure and Pictet   Texas Bush Katydid
      Tettigoniidae - Pseudophyllinae
  • Pterophylla camellifolia camellifolia (Fabricius)   Northern True Katydid
    Gryllidae – Gryllinae
  • Gryllus pennsylvanicus Burmeister   Fall Field Cricket
  • Gryllus veletis Alexander & Bigelow   Spring Field Cricket
      Gryllidae – Myrmecophilinae
  • Myrmecophilus pergandei Bruner   Eastern Ant Cricket
      Gryllidae - Nemobiinae
  • Allonemobius fasciatus (De Geer)   Striped Ground Cricket
  • Allonemobius griseus griseus (E.M. Walker)   Gray Ground Cricket
  • Allonemobius maculatus (Blatchley)   Spotted Ground Cricket
  • Eunemobius carolinus (Scudder)   Carolina Ground Cricket
  • Neonemobius palustris (Blatchley)   Marsh Ground Cricket
      Gryllidae - Oecanthinae
  • Neoxabea bipunctata (De Geer)   Two-spotted Tree Cricket
  • Oecanthus exclamationis Davis   Davis's Tree Cricket
  • Oecanthus fultoni T. Walker   Snowy Tree Cricket
  • Oecanthus nigricornis F. Walker   Black-horned Tree Cricket
  • Oecanthus niveus (De Geer)   Narrow-winged Tree Cricket
  • Oecanthus quadripunctatus Beutenmiiller   Four-spotted Tree Cricket
      Trigonidiidae
  • Anaxipha exigua (Say)   Say's Bush Cricket
      Gryllotalpidae
  • Neocurtilla hexadactyla hexadactyla (Perty)   Northern Mole Cricket

Cricket images

Northern Mole Cricket image by Tom Preney male Two-spotted Tree Cricket, Neoxabea bipunctata singing Two-spotted Tree Cricket, Neoxabea bipunctata    
Northern Mole Cricket
Neocurtilla hexadactyla hexadactyla
Two-spotted Tree Cricket
Neoxabea bipunctata
Male chewed this hole and used it as a song perch    

Snowy Tree Cricket, Oecanthus fultoni Black-horned Tree Cricket, Oecanthus nigricornis Davis's Tree Cricket, Oecanthus exclamationis
singing Snowy Tree Cricket
Oecanthus fultoni
singing Black-horned Tree Cricket
Oecanthus nigricornis
Davis's Tree Cricket
Oecanthus exclamationis

Katydid images

pink form of Oblong-winged Katydid Angle-winged Katydid, Microcentrum rhombifolium Sword-bearing Conehead, Neoconocephalus ensiger
Oblong-winged Katydid (pink morph)
Amblycorypha oblongifolia
Angle-winged Katydid
Microcentrum rhombifolium
Sword-bearing Conehead
Neoconocephalus ensiger
Common Meadow Katydid, Orchelimum vulgare Black-legged Meadow Katydid, Orchelimum nigripes Black-legged Meadow Katydid, Orchelimum nigripes
Common Meadow Katydid (male)
Orchelimum vulgare
Black-legged Meadow Katydid (female)
Orchelimum nigripes
Black-legged Meadow Katydid (male)
Orchelimum nigripes

Photographs © P.D. Pratt, T. Preney



Department of Parks & Recreation
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Information last updated: July 2013
URL of this page: http://www.ojibway.ca/orthoptera
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