sword-bearing conehead

(Neoconocephalus ensiger)

Conservation Status
sword-bearing conehead
Photo by Bill Reynolds
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Sword-bearing conehead is a common, large, meadow katydid.

The male is 1¾ to 23 16 in length, the female 21 16 to 2½. Both males and females have two color phases. On green phase individuals the thorax, abdomen, wings, and femurs are leaf green. There is a narrow yellowish edging on the plate covering the thorax (prothoracic shield) and on the front wing. On brown phase individuals the body is dark tan with black speckling on the wings. The female ovipositor is as long or longer than the body, and is curved, sword-like, which gives this species its common name.

The top of the head extends well beyond the first segment of the antennae, forming the “cone” which gives this tribe its common name. The cone is pinched in at the sides and separated from the head by a gap. It is rounded at the tip and the lower surface is edged with black.

The antennae are long, slender, and hair-like. They are much longer than the body.

The wings are narrow and long, extending beyond the end of the abdomen. They have fewer than 8 longitudinal veins. The front wings slope over the sides of the body, with only a small portion near the base being horizontal. The male has sound-producing organs, a raised hardened vein at the anal edge of the right front wing (scraper) and a toothed vein (file) near the base of the left front wing.

The last segments of the leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, has four segments.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Male: 1¾ to 23 16

Female: 21 16 to 2½

 
     
 

Song

 
 
Listen to sword-bearing conehead
 
     
 

The song of the male is distinctive. It is often compared to the sound of a distant locomotive. It is a continuous series of high-pitched lisps, clearly separated, produced at the rate of 10 per second.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Moderately moist grassy areas

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

July to September

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

They are strong fliers. They sometimes come to lights.

By rubbing the file against the scraper the male produces a high-pitched lisping song. At low temperatures nearby males synchronize their lisps.

They are often heard at night but seldom seen in daylight. During the day they perch head down on the lower stalk of vegetation with only their wings and hindlegs visible, appearing like a grass blade. At night females can be found near calling males feeding on the seedhead of a grass plant.

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

The female uses her long ovipositor to inject eggs into the crown of grass clumps. Most of the eggs overwinter. In the spring the nymphs feed on grass flowers and developing seeds.

 
     
 

Nymph Food

 
 

Grass flowers and developing seeds

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

Seeds of grasses and sometimes sedges.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 22, 24, 27, 29, 30, 70, 82, 83.

 
  11/25/2023      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids)  
 

Suborder

Ensifera (katydids, crickets, and allies)  
  Infraorder Tettigoniidea (katydids, wētā, and allies)  
 

Superfamily

Tettigonioidea  
 

Family

Tettigoniidae (katydids)  
 

Subfamily

Conocephalinae (coneheads and meadow katydids)  
 

Tribe

Copiphorini (coneheads)  
 

Genus

Neoconocephalus (common coneheads)  
       
 

Some sources recognize seven subfamilies of katydids (Family Tettigoniidae). However, most online sources, including ITIS, NCBI, BugGuide.net, and Orthoptera Species File (OSF) Online, demote the subfamily Copiphorinae (coneheads) to the tribe Copiphorini (coneheads) under the subfamily Conocephalinae (meadow katydids).

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

sword-bearing conehead

swordbearer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Femur

In insects, the largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. In humans, the thigh bone.

 

Ovipositor

A tube-like organ near the end of the abdomen of many female insects, used to prepare a place for an egg and to place the egg.

 

Prothoracic shield

The hardened plate on the dorsal surface of the first segment of the thorax.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Jolene Burgess

 
  Walking into CVS Pharmacy. It was on the glass beside the doors to the entrance. I have never seen one of these before.   sword-bearing conehead  
 

Bill Reynolds

 
  Grabbing a gas can to fill the lawn tractor, I noticed this green leaf and thought no more about it. But, while filling the tank, my mind said to look again for the leaf had legs. Sure enough it did!   sword-bearing conehead  
           
    sword-bearing conehead      
           
 
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Other Videos
 
  Sword Bearing Conehead Katydid (Neoconocephalus Ensiger) Male
David Thompson
 
   
 
About

Published on Aug 1, 2016

 
  swordbearingconehead
farside1971
 
   
 
About

Published on Aug 28, 2015

A male Neoconocephalus Ensiger (Sword-bearing Conehead) of the Tettigoniidae (Katydids or Bush Crickets) family of insects, sub-family Copiphorinae (Coneheads).

Thank you for watching and sorry about the shoddy camera work!

 
  Sword-bearing Conehead Katydid 7-21-13
GeaugaParkDistrict
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 25, 2013

What a handsome Sword-bearing Conehead - and in full song! - courtesy of Naturalist Linda Gilbert. This video was shot in her backyard about 9:45 p.m.

"It's amazing how fast it can rub those wings together," says Naturalist Linda. "One not-well-known fact about insect songs is that when it is hot outside, the insects are singing at a great risk - the verge of death! The friction generated by their wings rubbing together creates heat, and when that's combined with the heat of the day or night, the resulting temperature is almost enough to denature their body enzymes. It really is a wonder that they don't just burst into flames!"

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
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  Jolene Burgess
3/13/2020

Location: Plymouth, Minnesota

Walking into CVS Pharmacy. It was on the glass beside the doors to the entrance. I have never seen one of these before.

sword-bearing conehead  
  Bill Reynolds
8/12/2016

Location: Numedal township, Pennington County, Minnesota

Grabbing a gas can to fill the lawn tractor, I noticed this green leaf and thought no more about it. But, while filling the tank, my mind said to look again for the leaf had legs. Sure enough it did!

sword-bearing conehead  
           
 
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Created 8/14/2016

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