Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
formerly treated as family Conocephalidae
Classification at BugGuide follows
Orthoptera Species File; see Taxonomy Proposals topic
here.
Numbers
61 species in 7 genera in North America listed at
Singing Insects of North AmericaIdentification
Head formed into a pointed or rounded cone that projects beyond the basal antennal segments. Most species occur in brown and green forms. Can be found by their singing or sometimes at lights. Difficult to find during the day, as they are well camouflaged.
Range
Meadow Katydids occur over much of North America
Coneheads occur mostly in eastern United States, plus southeastern Canada and southwestern states; a number of species are restricted to the southeast, and a few occur only in Florida
Food
Females typically feed at night on seedheads of grasses.
Remarks
Includes two major groups in North America:
1. tribe Conocephalini (Meadow Katydids) containing the genera Conocephalus (19 species), Odontoxiphidium (1 species), Orchelimum (19 species)
2. tribe Copiphorini (Coneheads) containing the genera Belocephalus (5 species), Bucrates (1 species), Neoconocephalus (15 species), and Pyrgocorypha (1 species)
Characteristics of Conocephalini:
- Conocephalus--Lesser Meadow Katydids: body usually less than 20 mm long (sometimes to 27 mm) and slender, wings usually do not extend past tip of abdomen, ovipositor straight
- Orchelimum--Greater Meadow Katydids: body usually more than 20 mm long (to 42 mm), more robust, wings usually extend past tip of abdomen, ovipositor curved upward
Characteristics of Copiphorini:
wings extend beyond abdomen (except in genus Belocephalus)
cone of head separated from face by prominent gap (except in genus Bucrates)
cone variably straight-pointed, bent-pointed, or round-tipped, depending on species
The discussion at
Singing Insects of North America is excellent.
Print References
Arnett, p. 162, apparently heading for subfamily Listrocelinae is inserted in error above genus
Conocephalus.
(1)
Lutz, 3rd ed., p. 126
(4)Internet References
Insects of Cedar Creek, U. of Minnesota--description of katydid family, including this subfamily
classification plus common name reference, literature citations, synomym, included taxa (Orthoptera Species File)
