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Photo#934563
sooty winged katydid? - Capnobotes occidentalis - male

sooty winged katydid? - Capnobotes occidentalis - Male
Rovana 13 miles north of Bishop, Inyo County, California, USA
June 8, 2014
Size: approx 2 inches +
Hangin out on the side of my car. I rotated image but how it stuck vertically to the side of my vehicle is amazing. Is this a male?

wing color helps
Upon further checking, it seems that three species are recorded from the area; however, based on coloring, build, and location, these must be C. occidentalis.

Moved from Capnobotes.

male - yes; Sooty-winged Katydid - probably
If it flew and had blackish wings, then yes it is a Sooty-winged Katydid Capnobotes fuliginosus. However, there are other species in the region that look similar, and if it had transparent wings (or if you didn't see the wings), it will take a little more checking of details to see if we can sort out which species it is.

Moved from Shield-backed Katydids.

 
species id
Did not see inner wing color. Maybe one day, but this is the first time in 20 years of looking at critters that I have seen this one. I just posted an id request for a large brown katydid female seen at same location 5 days earlier. Could they be same species with sexual dimorphism? Thanks bugnut Gary

 
The female probably is the same species,
but it is a nymph. When mature, it will look quite similar to the male, though perhaps it will remain a bit browner in color.

I have a hunch, based on coloring (including the fact that the female nymph is brown, and those of C. fuliginosus are usually (always?) gray), that these are probably C. occidentalis. I'm not certain though, and will have to do a bit more research on how to tell them apart without seeing wings. I think there are two or three species of the genus recorded from the Owens Valley, but I'll double check that too.

 
saw the innerwings today
Had another male on my house today and it did not have black wings but appeared to have transparent grayish inner wings. Flushed it several times to get a glimpse. I am also seeing much shorter, smaller gray katydids like I caught in bathtub today similar in patterning to male and maybe these are mature females...I'll see if I have a photo I may have forgotten about?

moved for expert id
Moved from ID Request.

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