Tettigoniinae

Common marauding katydid Metaballus frontalis, copyright William Archer.

Belongs within: Tettigonioidea.

The Tettigoniinae, shield-backed katydids, are a group of katydids that often have the pronotum produced rearwards over the front of the abdomen. They include both diurnal and nocturnal species with some feeding by day but calling and mating by night (Rentz 1996).

Characters (from Rentz 1996): Fastigium of vertex as broad as width of first antennal segment to half width of same; fore tibia bearing a single spine on posterior margin of dorsal surface; hind tarsus with plantula, which is usually half length of first tarsal segment.

<==Tettigoniinae R96
    |  i. s.: Glenbalodectes amaroo R96
    |--Onconotini R96
    |--Tettigonia K09 [Tettigoniini R96]
    |    |--T. albida K08
    |    |--T. albifrons D95
    |    |--T. cantans K09
    |    `--T. viridissima K09
    |--Platycleidini R96
    |    |--Austrodectes monticolus R96
    |    `--Platycleis K09
    |         |--P. albopunctata K09
    |         |--P. camellifolia F01
    |         `--P. denticulata F92
    |--Glyphonotini R96
    |    |--Chlorodectes montanus R96
    |    |--Ectopistidectes daptes R96
    |    `--Metaballus R96
    |         |--M. alatus R91
    |         |--M. brevipennis R96
    |         |--M. frontalis R96
    |         |--M. mucronatus R96
    |         `--M. sagaeformis R96
    `--Nedubini R96
         |--Chinnandectes R96
         |--Platyproctidectes R96
         |--Rhachidorus longipennis R96
         |--Throscodectes R96
         |--Xederra barbarae R96
         |--Oligodectoides tindalei R96
         |--Dexerra vigescens R96
         |--Ixalodectes megacercus R96
         |--Nanodectes harpax R96
         |--Antipodectes R96
         |    |--A. brevicaudus MC13
         |    `--A. giganteus R96
         |--Neduba GE05
         |    |--N. (Neduba) castanea W01
         |    `--N. extincta GE05
         |--Lanciana R96
         |    |--L. hesperpotana R96
         |    |--L. montana R96
         |    `--L. occidentalis R96
         `--Oligodectes R96
              |--O. longicercus R96
              |--O. pallens R96
              `--O. urostegus R96

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[D95] Damerdji, A. 1995. Bio-écologie du peuplement des orthoptères de la région de Ghazaouet (Tlemcen, Algérie). Mésogée 54: 73–80.

[F92] Fan Z. 1992. Key to the Common Flies of China 2^nd ed. Science Press: Beijing.

[F01] Field, L. H. 2001. Stridulatory mechanisms and associated behaviour in New Zealand wetas. In: Field, L. H. (ed.) The Biology of Wetas, King Crickets and Their Allies pp. 271–295. CABI Publishing: Wallingford (UK).

[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.

[K08] Kirkaldy, G. W. 1908. A catalogue of the Hemiptera of Fiji. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 33: 345–391, pl. 4.

[K09] Köhler, G. 2009. Heuschrecken (Saltatoria) und Ohrwürmner (Dermaptera) im Immissionsgebiet des Düngemittelwerkes Steudnitz/Thüringen—eine Langzeitstudie (1978–2001). Mauritiana 20 (3): 601–646.

[MC13] Majer, J. D., S. K. Callan, K. Edwards, N. R. Gunawardene & C. K. Taylor. 2013. Baseline survey of the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Barrow Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 83: 13–112.

[R91] Rentz, D. C. F. 1991. Orthoptera (grasshoppers, locusts, katydids, crickets). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers vol. 1 pp. 369–393. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[R96] Rentz, D. 1996. Grasshopper Country: The abundant orthopteroid insects of Australia. University of New South Wales Press: Sydney.

[W01] Weissman, D. B. 2001. Communication and reproductive behaviour in Noth American Jerusalem crickets (Stenopelmatus) (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae). In: Field, L. H. (ed.) The Biology of Wetas, King Crickets and Their Allies pp. 351–375. CABI Publishing: Wallingford (UK).

Last updated: 25 May 2022.