Capturing the Elusive True Katydid

Reprinted from the Young Entomologist Society Journal Y.E.S. QUARTERLY 4(3) 

 Summer 1987 Copyright 1987

Gary Lovell, 3818 Watson , Toledo Ohio 43612

 I’ve been interested in the true katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia) ever since I heard and saw the first one 17 years ago.

I’ve heard them in many places, but except for an accidental capture in 1975, I have yet to see another one. 

 In August 1986 I was working in Angola, Indiana (USA). At nearby state park I observed the right kind of habitat for true katydids, as P. camellifolia likes to sing from the tops of tall trees. Indeed, there were hundreds present. 

 With such an abundance of katydids I thought there might be a chance that some of them would be low enough in the trees that I might be able to see or even capture one. At dusk I rode my bicycle down the roads and listened for katydids that were singing from positions lower in the trees. The first night of searching led to the discovery that several katydids indeed were less than 20 feet (approximately 6.1 meters) above the ground. The first one I captured was located only 4 feet (approx. 1.2 meters) off the ground. 

 I soon discovered many more katydids at a height of 12 – 20 feet (3 to 6 meters), and I thought they would be impossible to reach. I decided to try shaking them loose by pulling on the vines connected to branches, or by directly shaking branches or the trees. I had hoped it would cause the katydids to fly to another, perhaps lower, perch. However, this action had a different result than expected. The katydids dropped to the lower branches or to the ground. In all but one instance I was able to find them among the leaves on the ground. 

 In two nights of intensive searching I was able to capture four specimens. I had hoped to locate a mating pair, because a field guide mentioned that both males and females sing. 

 Several weeks later in Lucas Co., Ohio (USA), I climbed a tree to capture another specimen. My friend watched the katydid with a flashlight as I climbed the tree. The shaking of the branches as I climbed the tree disturbed the katydid and it jumped down to a height of 4 feet (1.2 meters). I was then able to capture it. 

 This method of shaking the trees proved successful with two different katydid populations in two different geographical localities, so I speculate that this may be a characteristic reaction by this species throughout its range and may work everywhere to bring down P. camellifolia. 

 I enjoy the sounds and songs of P. camellifolia (and other Orthopteran) and I often release them in my back yard (much to the dismay of my neighbors). 

 Most other large Orthoptera move away after a few days or weeks. Since there are no other true katydids within a mile (1.5 kilometers) or so of my house, I decided to release my last katydid in a 15 foot tall apple tree in the center of my backyard. 

 When I took note of the location of katydids I heard in several areas, they seemed to be in the same trees night after night even over a two week period. I intended to find out if “my” katydid would stay around for awhile. The katydid sang from the apple tree for two nights. After two nights of silence it sang again, this time from the tall maple tree about 60 feet {18 meters) away. It did not move away. 

 I found that the katydid did not sing when the temperature fell below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius). In the period from September 5th through October 8th (34 days) it sang on 23 nights – all of which were above 50 degrees F at dusk. On two days it started singing after 10:00 PM (E.D.T.) and one 50 degree day it rained and was not heard. I will never know how long it lived after I last heard it sing, or whether it was successful in attracting a mate. 

 I hope this information will help others interested in capturing the elusive true katydid.

Reprinted with permission from Y.E.S. QUARTERLY 4(3) Summer 1987

Email contact: glovell1@sbcglobal.net