Greater Anglewing Katydids (Microcentrum rhombifolium) are found in the southwestern and eastern United States, except for most of New England. They are found in forests, in shade trees, in shrubbery, and along fencerows. Ovipositing females glue their eggs along the margins of leaves. There is one generation annually, with adults present from July to October (except in Florida, where adults are present year-round).
Over much of the range of the Greater Anglewing, the similar Lesser Anglewing (M. retinerve) is at least as abundant. The slightly wavy front edge of the pronotal disc of the Greater Anglewing has a central forward-pointing "tooth" (in the Lesser Anglewing, the front edge of this disk is smooth and there is no tooth). The male stridulatory area is the same green color as the rest of the wing (in the Lesser Anglewing, the stridulatory area is a contrasting dark brown). The short, upward-bent ovipositor of the female Greater Anglewing appears almost as if it were snipped straight across the tip (in the Lesser Anglewing, the ovipositor tip is bluntly rounded). Greater Anglewings are generally larger than Lesser Anglewings (52 to 63 mm in length versus 44 to 53). The California Anglewing (M. californicum) of California and Arizona is also smaller than the Greater Anglewing (41 to 51 mm in length) and lacks the pronotal tooth. Its song is a brief two-part lisp repeated at an interval of around 2.5 seconds.
One of the calls of the Greater Anglewing, a single lisping note, may require some experience to distinguish from calls of several other katydids in its range. However, the other call, a 3 to 5 second series of soft ticks (produced by both sexes) that resembles the sound of two pebbles being rapidly tapped together, is very distinctive and heard once is easily recognized.
(Capinera et al. 2004; Himmelman 2009)
Microcentrum rhombifolium is a species of insect in the family Tettigoniidae.[1][2] Common names include greater angle-wing katydid, broad-winged katydid, and angular-winged katydid.[3][4][5] They live across North America in trees and shrubs.[2][1] Adults reach 50-65 mm in length and are rhombus-shaped. Their green coloration mimics leaves. Adults are active in late summer and autumn and have a "ticking" call.[5]
Microcentrum rhombifolium is a species of insect in the family Tettigoniidae. Common names include greater angle-wing katydid, broad-winged katydid, and angular-winged katydid. They live across North America in trees and shrubs. Adults reach 50-65 mm in length and are rhombus-shaped. Their green coloration mimics leaves. Adults are active in late summer and autumn and have a "ticking" call.
