Identification: Length 15–19 mm. Forewings covering less than two-thirds of abdomen; length of forewings generally more than 2.3 (males) or 2.2 (females) times medial length of pronotum. Stridulatory file with more than 70 teeth, 1.5 to 1.8 mm long.
Habitat: On grass and shrubby undergrowth, especially in pinewoods and in sawgrass marshes.
Season: June–Oct.
Song at 25°C: A musical, irregular tink, tink, tink that speeds up and becomes a trill of ca. 14 p/s. Each such sequence lasts 8-20 sec., with the carrier frequency gradually increasing by several hundred Hertz. Courtship singing resembles calling except that the tinks are more irregular and no trills are produced.
Similar species: Short-winged Bush Cricket (H. brevipennis)--wings shorter; fewer than 70 teeth in stridulatory file; no calling song.
Remarks: The Musical and Short-winged Bush Crickets are are closely related. They have not been found together, but specimens of the two collected 50 miles apart maintain their distinctive features.
More information: subfamily Eneopterinae, genus Hapithus
References: Walker 1977.
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