Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

National Moth Week was July 23-31, 2022! See moth submissions.

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in Wisconsin, July 10-12


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Orthoptera) » Long-horned Orthoptera (Ensifera) » Katydids, Camel Crickets, and relatives (Tettigoniidea) » Katydids (Tettigoniidae) » Shield-backed Katydids (Tettigoniinae) » Eastern Shieldbacks (Atlanticus)

Genus Atlanticus - Eastern Shieldbacks

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
katydid - Atlanticus monticola - female Shieldback - Atlanticus testaceus - female Least Shieldback (Atlanticus monticola)? - Atlanticus Katydid near marsh - Atlanticus testaceus - male Atlanticus davisi - male Large Grasshopper-ish Bug - Atlanticus - female Atlanticus pachymerus - female Atlanticus gibbosus - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)
Suborder Ensifera (Long-horned Orthoptera)
Infraorder Tettigoniidea (Katydids, Camel Crickets, and relatives)
Family Tettigoniidae (Katydids)
Subfamily Tettigoniinae (Shield-backed Katydids)
Genus Atlanticus (Eastern Shieldbacks)
Other Common Names
Short-legged Shield-back Katydid (A. testacea), Eastern Shieldbacks. See SINA for a list of species and common names.
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Atlanticus Scudder, 1894
Explanation of Names
Latin Atlanticus is from Greek Atlantikos (Ατλαντικο'ς), pertaining to the Titan Atlas, or the Atlas Mountains in North Africa (1).
Numbers
13 spp. in our area(2), 23 spp. total(3)
Size
ca. 25-35 mm body length, ♀♀ incl. ovipositor up to 50 mm
Identification
Males have front wings (tegmina) shorter than pronotum. Female wings vestigial and covered by pronotum. Female has long, sword-like ovipositor. Both male and female of all species are flightless.
Identification of species is challenging. For starters, refer to these illustrations from Rehn and Hebard (1916):

Note that the taxonomy used in that reference is not completely up-to-date.
Range
e. NA; c. & e. Asia(3) (apparently the only widespread genus of shield-backs in the east)
Habitat
Dry deciduous and mixed woodlands: on ground and in low vegetation
Season
June-October (adults, n. US); May-November (A. gibbosus, FL)
in NC(4):
A. americanus--Piedmont, Sandhills, June-July; Mountains July-Sept.
A. gibbosus: Mountains?
A. monticola--Mountains, July-Sept.
A. pachymerus--Piedmont, Coastal Plain, June-August
Food
Omnivorous, eat other insects (living and dead), fruits, leaves, flowers of a variety of vegetation.
Life Cycle
Eggs overwinter in plant tissue or soil, one generation per year; males sing(5)
Remarks
Said to be strong biters
Print References
The Century Dictionary--entry for Atlantic, etc. (1)
(6) illustrations of 2 spp. from MI
Rehn JAG, Hebard M. 1916. Studies in American Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera). VII. A revision of the species of the genus Atlanticus (Decticinae). Trans. Am. Entomol. Soc. 42: 33-99. pl. 6-8. Full text [4995 KB]
Internet References
SINA--several species accounts with photos, maps, songs
Works Cited
1.The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language
2.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
3.Orthoptera Species File Online
4.Insects of North Carolina
C.S. Brimley. 1938. North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
5.National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders
Lorus and Margery Milne. 1980. Knopf.
6.Orthoptera of Michigan
Roger Bland. 2003. Michigan State University Extension.
Contributed by Cotinis on 3 October, 2004 - 9:46am
Additional contributions by Lynette Elliott, Chuck Entz, David Ferguson, v belov
Last updated 16 January, 2012 - 1:40am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2022 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact