Obolopteryx catinata (Rehn & Hebard, 1914): Tettigoniidae family » Phaneropterinae subfamily » Odonturini tribe
generic name:
Obolopteryx
Older generic name:
Dichopetala (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878)
Newer generic name:
Obolopteryx (Cohn, Swanson & Fontana, 2014)
Cohn et al. based the new genus on three distinctive male structures and a unique feature of the female ovipositor, and they assigned eight species to the genus (Barrientos-Lozano et al., 2015). Barrientos-Lozano & Rocha-Sánchez described six news species in 2015 and 2016, and the
Orthoptera Species File now lists 14 species of Obolopteryx (2023).
specific epithet:
catinata
from Cohn, Swanson, and Fontana (2013): "catinata, (Dichopetala, Obolopteryx) – Latin, catinus, deep vessel, pot, bowl, dish, cup. No explanation was given in the original description by Rehn and Hebard (1914), although the epithet most likely references the concave cup-like thumb of the male cercus."
Obolopteryx genus katydids are uncommon in my area, and I have very limited experience with only one species that I will describe here. I found several Obolopteryx catinata older nymphs and adults in 2021 and then a much smaller number of nymphs in 2022. I raised all of the nymphs to adults and did not get an F1 generation until spring of 2023.
These katydids are quite distinctive and beautiful with an air of mystery about them.
My discussion here is divided into the following sections: 1) Finding Obolopteryx, 2) Housing and Care, 3) Eggs, Nymphs, and Adults, 4) My F1-generation Nymphs 2023, 5) Song, 6) Mating and (Possible) Alluring Glands, 7) Laying Eggs, 8) Parasitism, and 9) Observations.
Finding Obolopteryx
Texas Parks and Wildlife lists Obolopteryx catinata as Dichopetala catinata (using the older generic name, Rehn & Hebard, 1914) on the SGCN list, and this species along with four other species of the same genus are included in the 2020
Species of Greatest Conservation Need list.
I found my Obolopteryx in a grassy meadow on Cnidoscolus texanus. I believe they are also found on Opuntia and flowers, based on the iNaturalist images posted.
typical habitat of Cnidoscolus texanus (Euphorbiaceae):
This late-instar male nymph and his plant (Cnidoscolus texanus) are covered in dew:
Housing and Care
For housing of these katydids, I used large butterfly cages, measuring 36" x 24" x 24". I placed a variety of native plants in 4-inch pots inside the cage. My Obolopteryx liked perching on broad leaves, such as Turk's Cap, Salvia madrensis, and green pepper varieties. Adults are just as likely to perch on the sides of the cage near the top.
sample cages for Obolopteryx catinata:
For food, I used my usual assortment of katydid foods: organic Romaine lettuce, organic apple slices, rolled oats, cricket powder, pecan/walnut/almond slices, nectar sponges, and fresh water.
very young nymph munching on romaine lettuce:
adult females eating cricket powder:
adult male eating oats:
adult male eating apple:
adult females eating lettuce and apple:
adult female drinking water:
romaine lettuce after being munched on by Obolopteryx catinata:
VIDEO of senior female munching on apple
VIDEO of senior male munching on apple
Eggs, Nymphs, and Adults
Eggs are yellow-brown and oval-shaped, measuring just under 4 mm.
young nymphs: (last picture includes Amblycorypha huasteca nymph)
nymphs getting a wee bit bigger:
middle-instar nymphs:
late-instar nymphs:
final-instar nymphs male and female:
adult females:
adult male with male cerci:
Rehn and Hebard (1914) place O. catinata with some other species of Oboloteryx in a group in which cercal structures are described as "With a dorsal median fork, developing from a simple tooth to a large flattened lobe covering the greater portion of the distal section of the cercal shaft." They note that "there exists no correlation between certain forms of cerci and certain forms of the subgenital plate," adding that while the cerci of O. catinata and O. oreoeca are similar in form, the subgenital plates are very different.
MOULTING
Obolopteryx catinata generally eat the exuvia after moulting.
nymph eating exuvia after moulting:
poor-quality VIDEO of nymph eating exuvia
My F1-generation Nymphs, 2023
Following my first year of collecting Obolopteryx catinata (2021), I got zero F1 nymphs in the following spring of 2022. However, after saving the original eggs from 2021 and also collecting a very few more nymphs to raise in 2022, I got about a dozen F1 hatchlings in 2023. Even though I kept the 2021 and 2022 substrate dishes in the same cage, I believe that the 2023 hatchlings were from the 2021 eggs (two-year cycle). I was able to find only very few Obolopteryx catinata in 2022, and the ones I found were significantly less healthy and less active than those of 2021. Additionally, I did not see anyone laying eggs that second year, nor did I see males actively courting as did my 2021 adults. I kept all of the substrate dishes overwinter (two winters for the older eggs) enclosed inside a mesh butterfly habitat with regular light misting. The eggs were exposed to natural photoperiods with near-natural temperatures. All substrate dishes that I keep for rearing are labelled by species and months/year when eggs were laid.
My first F1-generation Obolopteryx catinata nymphs were born on April 8, 2023. I had several more born just after this. Then, to my surprise, I had four late-born nymphs. They hatched on May 23, 2023 (one nymph), May 24, 2023 (one nymph), and May 25, 2023 (two nymphs). They did just as well as the nymphs born in April and progressed into adulthood with no problems. My final adult of 2023 (male) died on August 15, 2023.
Just-born F1 nymphs:
One-day-old F1 nymphs:
My F1 nymphs growing up:
My second of four late-born F1 nymphs, just born on May 24, 2023:
In addition to my F1 nymphs of 2023, I collected a few nymphs from the field. The season of 2023, like that of 2021, was relatively good for this species, whereas in 2022, this species was quite sparse in my area.
This is an older female who died naturally in the rearing cage:
Song
These katydids have tiny wings. Isely (1941) describes the song of O. emarginata (maybe extinct?) as "a faint rasp or buzz." The song is very soft, and in captivity my Obolopteryx were easily drowned out by other singers.
I don't have proper recording equipment for such soft sounds, but I did record (in darkness) several singers including Obolopteryx catinata (the consistent "faint rasp" here):
VIDEO (sound only) of O. catinata song with other singers
Mating and (possible) Alluring Glands
male and female:
Males flirt with females by standing in front of them or beside them and singing while curling their abdomens.
male cerci and subgenital plate (ventral):
Mating is prolonged and without a spermatophylax (Isely, 1941) and Karim Vahed (personal communication). The longest duration of mating that I personally observed from some time in the middle until separation was 50 minutes. (I did not see the initiation.) Isely (1941) notes that copulation in O. emarginatus can last for several hours.
Obolopteryx catinata mating images:
It is possible that these katydids have alluring glands; however, copulatory position might suggest otherwise. Some behaviours that I observed suggested the presence of alluring glands (more on this in a separate article).
alluring gland behaviour:
Laying Eggs
Obolopteryx catinata lay their eggs in soil. (They might additionally use plants.) This species is a bit more cryptic than other species I have raised, and I only occasionally saw them laying eggs.
female laying eggs:
Parasitism
In 2023, I collected several nymphs from the field and raised them. Four of the nymphs that I collected were parasitised by Tachinid flies. Although I collected and saved the puparia, I was not able to get them to eclose and I do not know what species this was.
(I included more details on the Tachinid fly Ormia lineifrons in my
Neoconocephalus triops article.)
Oblopteryx catinata parasitised by Tachinid fly, showing exit hole:
Puparia of Tachinid parasitoids:
Observations
Obolopteryx often remain very still, likely part of their superb camouflage, but will hop when disturbed. Their movements are quite agile.
As with other katydid species that I've raised, as Obolopteryx grow very old, they begin to lose limbs and parts of limbs and become much less mobile.
The most interesting characteristic of these katydids to me is courtship. The males have a unique style of flirting through singing and curling their abdomens. It was common to see a male flirting with a female who was either already mating or already being courted by a different male. Resting position was often a female directly behind a male, suggesting the possible presence of alluring glands.
In my third year of working with this species, I learned that it is indeed possible to rear these guys from eggs. Eggs might take two years to hatch, so it is essential to continue caring for eggs through at least two winters. Since this species (and the whole genus) is very likely endangered, it will be essential to rear these katydids for preservation purposes. I strongly encourage anyone who possibly can to consider rearing Obolopteryx species and documenting your experiences for others to learn.
adult female Obolopteryx catinata:
References
Barrientos-Lozano, L., Rocha-Sánchez, A. Y., & Correa-Sandoval, A. (2015, December 31). A new species of the genus Obolopteryx Cohn et al. 2014 and a conspecific gynandromorph (Ensifera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae). https://zenodo.org/record/237654
Cohn, T.J., Swanson, D.R. & Fontana, P. (2013) Dichopetala and new related North American genera: a study in genitalic similarity in sympatry and genitalic differences in allopatry (Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae: Odonturini). Miscellaneous Publications Museum of Zoology University of Michigan 203, 1–180.
Genus Obolopteryx Cohn, Swanson & Fontana, 2014: Orthoptera Species File. Taxa hierarchy. (2023). http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1221264
Isely, F. B. (1941, October). Researches concerning Texas tettigoniidae. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1943300
Rehn, J. A. G., & Hebard, M. (1914). A study of the species of the genus Dichopetala. https://orthsoc.org/sina/s001lrh14.pdf
Vahed, K., Gilbert, J. D. J., Weissman, D. B., & Barrientos-Lozano, L. (2014, July). Functional equivalence of grasping cerci and nuptial food gifts in promoting ejaculate transfer in katydids. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24724547/
.