Straight-Lanced Meadow Katydid

Female straight-lanced meadow katydid resting on a leaf, viewed from side
Scientific Name
Conocephalus strictus
Family
Tettigoniidae (katydids) in the order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids)
Description

The straight-lanced meadow katydid is common in pastures, old fields, roadsides, and agricultural lands. The ovipositor of the female is remarkably long, a swordlike structure that is longer than the rest of the body. The forewings are very short. The song has been likened to a purr: a droning, relatively soft buzz that sometimes breaks into a series of rapid, skipping tics. A chorus is impressive, but a single individual may escape notice.

Learn more about this and other katydids on their group page.

Media Gallery
Female straight-lanced meadow katydid resting on a leaf, viewed from side
The straight-lanced meadow katydid (Conocephalus strictus) is common in pastures, roadsides, and crop lands. The female's swordlike ovipositor is longer than the rest of her body.
Julianna Schroeder
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Female straight-lanced meadow katydid resting on a leaf, viewed from side
Similar Species
About Land Invertebrates in Missouri
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.