THE INSECTLIBRARY FIELD GUIDES
KatydidIdentification, facts & practical guidance
Katydids are long-antennaed insects in Tettigoniidae. Many look like leaves, but the family also includes brown and unusually colored species.
Compiled by the InsectLibrary Team · Updated · Editorial policy
Identification and lookalikes
Look for antennae that are usually longer than the body and strong jumping legs. Females may have a flattened egg-laying structure at the rear; this is an ovipositor, not a stinger.
Sounds and habitat
Species differ in their calls and preferred vegetation. A recording can help when paired with a photograph and locality. Leaflike shape or green color alone is not a species-level identification.
What to do next
Observe on shrubs, grasses and trees. Record the call without handling the insect and note whether it was active by day or at night.
Katydid: species profiles
Explore 212 species profiles covered by this guide, with recorded names and available photos.
Mediterranean Katydid
Phaneroptera nana
(c) Aurélien Coste, some rights reserved (CC BY)Fork-tailed Bush Katydid
Scudderia furcata
Speckled Bush-Cricket
Leptophyes punctatissima
True Katydid
Pterophylla camellifolia
Greater Angle-wing Katydid
Microcentrum rhombifolium
Drumming Katydid
Meconema thalassinum
Broad-tipped Conehead
Neoconocephalus triops
Short-winged Meadow Katydid
Conocephalus brevipennis
Southern Oak Bush-Cricket
Meconema meridionale
Slender Meadow Katydid
Conocephalus fasciatus
Lesser Angle-wing Katydid
Microcentrum retinerve
Long-winged Conehead
Conocephalus fuscus
Showing 12 of 212 species. Browse all in Orthoptera →
Sources and further reading
- mdc.mo.gov - katydidshttps://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/katydids
References support the subject discussed here; they do not certify every imported directory record. Regional sources describe their own locations. Read our source and correction policy.