Katydids (Tettigoniidae) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Katydids are insects that live in U.S. fields and trees, where many of their calls can be heard at night. Their antennae are usually longer than their bodies, their folded wings often form a roof over the back, and their hearing organs are on the front legs.

In this group

Common True KatydidPterophylla camellifolia

Listen for it in treetops on late-summer nights. Its broad, leaflike wings help it blend into the canopy.

Greater Angle-wingMicrocentrum rhombifolium

This broad-winged katydid occurs across much of the eastern United States and into the Southwest. The strongly angled wing outline is a useful photo clue.

Fork-tailed Bush KatydidScudderia furcata

Look for this bush katydid in shrubs across much of the United States. Its slim build differs from the broad true katydids.

Robust ConeheadNeoconocephalus robustus

It lives among tall grasses and crops. A cone-shaped head and a sturdy body point toward the coneheads.

Short-winged Meadow KatydidConocephalus brevipennis

It favors moist fields and other damp grassy places. Its shorter wings and small size help distinguish it from large coneheads.

Appearance

Appearance: Many katydids are green and leaflike, but brown, pink, and yellow forms also occur. Color alone is less useful than the combination of antennae, legs, and wing shape.
How to recognize it: The antennae usually extend beyond the abdomen, and the folded wings often form a roof over the body. Females of many species have a flattened or sword-shaped at the tip of the abdomen.

Look-alikes

Short-horned GrasshoppersAcrididae

Katydid antennae are usually longer than the body. Short-horned grasshopper antennae are generally less than half the body length.

Why they get mixed upBoth groups have enlarged hind legs and jump readily.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: grasslands
shrub thickets
woodland edges
tree canopies
Range: Katydids live in terrestrial habitats around the world. In the United States, familiar kinds range from meadow katydids close to the ground to true katydids high in trees.
Preferred conditions: Different species favor tall grasses, shrubs, crop edges, moist fields, or woodland borders, so the plant layer is a useful clue.

Behavior

Diet: Most species eat plants, while some hunt small animals or eat a mixed diet.
Activity: Males usually make species-specific calls by rubbing parts of the forewings together. Hearing organs are located on the front legs.

Life cycle

Reproduction: Females place eggs in plant tissue, soil, or another site suited to the species. The young hatch as that resemble small, wingless adults and grow without a pupal stage.

Name and classification

Group name: “Katydids” is the usual U.S. name for the family Tettigoniidae. “Bush crickets” and “long-horned grasshoppers” are other English names, but they are not true crickets or members of the short-horned grasshopper family.
Number of species: About 8,570 living katydid species are known worldwide.

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