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Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
 
Photos from the gathering
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

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Genus Cyphoderris

Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)
Suborder Ensifera (Long-horned Orthoptera)
Family Prophalangopsidae (Hump-winged Crickets)
Genus Cyphoderris
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
placed in subfamily Decticinae in family Tettigoniidae by other sources (e.g. U. of Wisconsin)
Explanation of Names
CYPHODERRIS: from the Greek "kyphos" (bent) + "derris" (a covering); refers to the humped wings that resemble a bulky blanket heaped on the insect's back
Size
body length 17-30 mm
Identification
brown with black and pale yellowish markings; short flightless wings are bulky and humped up like a loosely-folded blanket heaped on the insect's back
Range
northwestern United States and southwestern Canada
Habitat
coniferous forests and high-altitude sagebrush prairie; adults hide beneath leaf litter during the day, and become active at night
Season
adults from May to August
Food
staminate flowers of coniferous trees, and flower parts & pollen of broadleaved shrubs; sometimes eats fruit and small insects
Life Cycle
overwinters as a late-instar nymph or young adult in burrow in ground; one generation per year
Remarks
males stridulate to attract females or to announce territory
Internet References
live adult images of male and female C. strepitans by Darryl Gwynne, plus classification, biology, and references (Tree of Life)
links to info, images, distribution maps of the 3 North American species (Singing Insects of North America, U. of Florida)
biology and behavior (U. of Toronto)