Common True Katydid

Pterophylla camellifolia — the common true katydid — is the species whose 'KA-TY-DID, KA-TY-DIDN'T' nighttime calls are the iconic soundtrack of summer nights across the eastern US and one of the most striking LEAF-MIMIC insects in North American Orthoptera. The species is widespread across the eastern US from southern New England south through the eastern US to northern Florida and west to Texas. Adults are 5-6 cm body length with the species' diagnostic LEAF-MIMIC WING MORPHOLOGY: wings are bright green, shaped exactly like a fresh oak or maple leaf, and have prominent CENTRAL VEINS running down the middle of each wing exactly like the midrib of a real leaf, with smaller cross-veins branching off — making the resting katydid essentially indistinguishable from a leaf when viewed at any distance. The leaf-mimic camouflage is so effective that katydids resting on tree branches are typically invisible to observers even when the calling katydid can be clearly heard from 3-5 meters away. The species is the most-cited acoustic insect in eastern North American natural history. The CALL — produced by males rubbing the front wings together (a process called 'stridulation') — is a distinctive harsh raspy 'CHK-CHK-CHK' or 'KA-TY-DID, KA-TY-DIDN'T' sound that gives the species (and the entire katydid family Tettigoniidae) its common name. The call is loud enough to be audible from 50-100 meters away, and male katydids form 'choruses' on warm summer evenings — multiple males calling simultaneously from neighboring trees, creating one of the most-recognized acoustic signatures of eastern US summer nights. The chorus continues from sunset through pre-dawn, and is one of the cultural icons of southeastern US summer evenings (featured in literature, music, and folklore as the quintessential 'sound of summer'). Females select males based on call quality (call rate, duration, and consistency are correlated with male quality). Larvae and adults feed on a wide range of deciduous tree leaves (especially oak, maple, ash) and are essentially harmless to crops. The species is harmless to humans and is a flagship example of both leaf mimicry and acoustic communication in Orthoptera.