Hello all,
My name is Susan and I am a graduate student in Entomology and Cornell University. I am posting here because I need your help in finding the species of insect I study. I work with katydids, which look a bit like grasshoppers except they have really long antennae and make noise by rubbing their wings together. They are bright green so they can be hard to find, but there sound is quite distinct. They call with bursts of sound. Each burst consists of a series of ticks. They are unique in that with each burst of sound they increase the number of ticks. The entire series starts with just 3 or 4 ticks in the burst of sound then counts up until the last burst has 9 or 10 ticks! This is really cool compared to the sounds you normally here out in the field because it has this counting structure to it. I recently started a project in which I study their calling and mating behavior. Sadly, last year my field site was mowed and so I am quite concerned about being able to find them this summer.
If you go to the following URL and click on Broad-Winged Bush Katydid you will see and hear what this insect sounds like. If you would like further pictures or sound files, feel free to e-mail me and I will send you whatever you need.
http://www.musicofnature.com/songsofinsects/iframes/bushkatydids/bushkatydids.html
If you hear or see this katydid could you please post letting me know precisely where you heard it and how many you think might be there, e.g., did you hear a lone male or were there lots of them calling. They should start singing next week or so and will continue singing until September.
If I am going to have a successful field season this summer I need your help! So listen to the sound file on the webpage a couple times, keep your ears open, and please let me know what you hear…
