EMBEDDED IN CLEAR RESIN
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THE BEAUTIFUL KATYDID
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PARACYRTOPHYLLUS ROBUSTUS Truncated true katydid Paracyrtophyllus robustus, commonly known as the truncated true katydid or central Texas leaf katydid, is a species of true katydid in the family Tettigoniidae.
This is a very localized species; it is also called the Texas Leaf Katydid.
It is found in North America. North American pseudophylline katydids are often numerous, as evidenced by their nighttime choruses.Like in cicadas, their rhythmic calls often escalate into long shrills.
Males have a file on the underside of the left tegmen (thickened forewing) and a sclerotized scraper on the edge of the right tegmen. The scraper runs along the file to vibrate the wings, and the sound resonates through a chamber formed by a triangular group of wing cells called the harp and a transparent circular area called the mirror.
Specimens are not easy to collect and they do not defoliate the trees they live in.
Truncated True Katydids are very large and wide. They are about 35-40 mm long and their bluntly rounded wings fold around their bodies like clam shells. Color is green with brown markings and they certainly blend in well with tree foliage, which is where they are normally found.
The tip of the female's curved ovipositor sticks out a little between the wings, while the males have more extensive brown markings on the stridulating part of their wings. The head is large, with beady little round eyes. Nymphs of this species are pretty distinctive.
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