Subject: Shield backed katydid?
Geographic location of the bug: Newton County Georgia
Date: 08/12/2018
Time: 10:05 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Just checking my ID.
How you want your letter signed: Rosmarie
Dear Rosmarie,
Your image depicts two different immature female Katydids that have not yet grown wings and their respective ovipositors are quite different in appearance. The individual on the left appears to be an immature female Lesser Meadow Katydid in the genus Conocephalus, based on this BugGuide image. According to BugGuide, there are “18 species” that are rather similar looking and “Females oviposit in grass-stems. One generation per year.” We believe your other Katydid on the right is an immature female Bush Katydid in the genus Scudderia based on this BugGuide image. According to BugGuide: “8 spp. in our area” and “Most species probably favor foliage of broad-leaved woody deciduous plants, but probably will feed on a variety of other plants. Often (especially nymphs) seen feeding on flowers of assorted, often herbaceous plants.” Both of your individuals are in the subfamily Phaneropterinae, so they are not Shield-Backed Katydids in the subfamily Tettigoniinae.