June, 2015

Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid

One of the most common katydids in central Texas is the straight-lanced meadow katydid (Conocephalus strictus). Meadow katydids are rather small and the calls of the males are not particularly loud. This species is large for the genus, with a body length of almost an inch, not including the incredible ovipositor of the female, which can be longer than the body! There is a long-winged form but in our area I've only seen short-winged individuals.

As might be expected, the straight-lanced meadow katydid cannot fly and it also is not terribly inclined to jump. It is often found in grassy fields and its main defense when discovered is to scoot to the other side of a grass blade or stem and stretch itself out so that it blends in with all the other parallel lines.