Southern Oak Bush-cricket - Meconema meridionale

Thanks all for the feedback.

Thanks all for the feedback. I was concerned about the stubby wings and short antennae. iNaturalist has a couple more sightings in the Seattle area this fall.

… Scott Ramos, 24 October, 2017 - 12:58pm

It's always fun to stumble onto something like this.

I'm surprised that I caught it. I was putting into the other species, but something just didn't seem "right".

As for the short antennae on this one - I didn't comment on them, but they are just broken or chewed off.

… David J. Ferguson, 24 October, 2017 - 1:01pm

follow-up

Went through posts for the other species, and it looks like others beat you to it; just nobody noticed.

Moved from Meconema.

… David J. Ferguson, 24 October, 2017 - 9:48am

Short-winged adult female

This is clearly an adult. After I moved it, I started checking; the short wings bothered me, because I've never heard of short-winged M. thalassinum. This is a female of Meconema meridionale, the other species in the genus, also from Europe. This is likely the first record from the United States.

I have a sneeking suspicion that this "species" is nothing more than a short-winged form of the other, but they are treated as distinct in Europe, and I know little about them.

… David J. Ferguson, 24 October, 2017 - 9:14am

very interesting, thanks for checking these

And sorry about throwing those other images in with M. thalassinum. I remember seeing those short wings and thinking it looked a little weird but I guess I never bothered checking. Now I know! I'll have to keep an eye out for M. meridionale in my own travels.

Edit: went through the Meconema submissions from the US and Canada on iNaturalist, lots of M. meridionale hiding among the M. thalassinum there, dating back to 2015, most from around Seattle.

… metrioptera, 24 October, 2017 - 12:28pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… David J. Ferguson, 24 October, 2017 - 9:12am