Drumming Katydid

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Don Boucher

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Aug 12, 2019, 11:25:37 PM8/12/19
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Hello,

Lisa and I were on an evening walk the other night and while walking through the Samaritan hospital parking lot, I found this tiny green guy. At first thought it was a tree cricket nymph. I took some crude photos with my phone while Lisa held a flashlight on it.

I'd never seen an adult katydid this small (about a half inch). It turns out to be a recently introduced species from Europe, Drumming Katydid (Meconema thalassinum).

I found a recording of it's sound online(http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/PlaySound.aspx?PlayOn=wav&strSoundID=2008). I can't say I've ever heard it. According to BugGuide, "This species calls by drumming the hind tarsus on a leaf." and, "No stridulatory area apparent at base of male forewings." https://bugguide.net/node/view/8022

-Don Boucher
Corvallis
1-Drumming Katydid - Meconema thalassinum - 20190810.jpg
4-Drumming Katydid - Meconema thalassinum - 20190810.jpg

Bill Gerth

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Aug 13, 2019, 9:55:40 AM8/13/19
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Hi Don,


Cool to hear the audio recording! I haven't heard that in person before.


Also, I knew this was an introduced species, but wasn't aware of it's immigrant history, so I looked some things up.

This is from the Singing Insects of North America website...

"The drumming katydid is native to Europe....Whatever the means, by 1957 it had become established on western Long Island, New York, and by 1980 it had extended its range to Rhode Island and to Scarsdale and Ithaca, New York. It has since been reported as far east as Michigan in the northeast U.S. and in several localities in the vicinity of Vancouver on the West Coast."


Earliest photographic evidence on Bugguide indicates a possible southward expansion of its range in th PNW. The first photos of this critter were as follows:

BC...2006

Seattle...2007

Portland...2011

Salem....2012

Corvallis....2014.

There aren't any photo records from south of Corvallis yet though.


Cheers,

Bill

On August 12, 2019 at 8:25 PM Don Boucher <donab...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello,

Lisa and I were on an evening walk the other night and while walking through the Samaritan hospital parking lot, I found this tiny green guy. At first thought it was a tree cricket nymph. I took some crude photos with my phone while Lisa held a flashlight on it.

I'd never seen an adult katydid this small (about a half inch). It turns out to be a recently introduced species from Europe, Drumming Katydid ( Meconema thalassinum).

I found a recording of it's sound online( http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/PlaySound.aspx?PlayOn=wav&strSoundID=2008). I can't say I've ever heard it. According to BugGuide, "This species calls by drumming the hind tarsus on a leaf." and, "No stridulatory area apparent at base of male forewings." https://bugguide.net/node/view/8022

-Don Boucher
Corvallis

 

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Bill Gerth

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Aug 13, 2019, 1:06:30 PM8/13/19
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Oops, the earliest photo of a specimen from Corvallis was actually 2012. Kind of silly that I mistook that, because I was one of the people who took photos of drumming katydids in Corvallis that year...

https://bugguide.net/node/view/721760

https://bugguide.net/node/view/690046


Cheers,

Bill

Lisa Millbank

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Aug 13, 2019, 2:05:46 PM8/13/19
to Bill Gerth, Don Boucher, Mid-Valley Nature
It's remarkable that this katydid has a completely unique way of making sound.  I'd have been completely baffled if I'd heard it and was unable to find the insect. Here's a recording that may be easier and quicker to access.  https://www.xeno-canto.org/446555
It's also interesting that the bird sound website Xeno-canto also has a few Orthoptera recordings.
Lisa Millbank


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Mary Garrard

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Aug 13, 2019, 2:21:28 PM8/13/19
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I would have been hard-pressed to know what was making that drumming. Very interesting. Thanks for posting!
Mary


___________
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. The Dalai Lama

nancy bee

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Aug 13, 2019, 3:21:40 PM8/13/19
to Lisa Millbank, Bill Gerth, Don Boucher, Mid-Valley Nature
I might have thought of a miniature pileated woodpecker or perhaps a tiny woodworker with an impact driver. 

It sounded more like drumming on wood than on a leaf. Remarkable that they can do that. 

Great references Bill and Lisa. Thanks. 

Travel and nature blog: https://nancybird375.wordpress.com/


On Aug 13, 2019, at 11:05 AM, Lisa Millbank <millba...@gmail.com> wrote:

Gayle Peterson

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Aug 13, 2019, 8:44:37 PM8/13/19
to Lisa Millbank, Bill Gerth, Don Boucher, Mid-Valley Nature

Awesome, Lisa!

Gayle

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