Pterophylla camellifolia

Pterophylla camellifolia, the common true katydid, is a common North American insect. It can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Florida.^[1] P. camellifolia belongs to the family Tettigoniidae (katydids). Within the Tettigoniidae, it belongs to the subfamily Pseudophyllinae (true katydids). Other common names include northern true katydid and rough-winged katydid.^[2][3][4]

Pterophylla camellifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Suborder:	Ensifera
Family:	Tettigoniidae
Subfamily:	Pseudophyllinae
Genus:	Pterophylla
Species:	P. camellifolia
Binomial name
Pterophylla camellifolia (Fabricius, 1775)

Common true katydid nymph on a Mirabilis jalapa flower

The loud, rasping, three-pulsed song, rendered "ka-ty-did", of the male of the nominate northern subspecies is the source of the vernacular name "katydid” as applied to any tettigoniid.^[5] It is a nearly flightless species that, in contrast with other katydids, often walks, runs, or hops rather than leaping or flying.^[6] It lives in the canopy of deciduous trees, where it feeds on the foliage.^[5][6] It can reach up to 50 mm (2 in) in length.^[5]

Song

The singing rate is temperature dependent.^[7][8] Four populations of this species can be distinguished by song characteristics:^[5]

• The two-, three-, or four-pulsed song of northern populations, as described above;
• The faster song with more pulses per phrase, often heard in large, synchronized choruses common to the Southeastern populations;
• The one- or two-pulsed song of Southwestern populations; and
• A song of 8 to 15 pulses heard only in central Iowa.

• Song at 20 °C, Illinois

Taxonomy

This species' original scientific name was Locusta camellifolia. The genus Pterophylla was created for it by Kirby in 1825. Three subspecies are recognized for P. camellifolia:^[4]

• Pterophylla camellifolia camellifolia (Fabricius, 1775) – type locality is in the United States
• Pterophylla camellifolia dentifera (Hebard, 1941) – type locality is Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States
• Pterophylla camellifolia intermedia (Caudell, 1906) – type locality is Biloxi, Mississippi, United States