Protean Shieldback
Protean Shieldback (Atlanticus testaceus)
Occurrence
Uncommon in our area, but more common in southern Ohio.
Habitat
Shrubby meadows and woodland edges
Range
I have only found them in Summit County at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Singer Lake Bog to date, but they may be elsewhere in the southern part of our region.
Physical description
Shieldbacks look significantly different from other katydids, as they typically have very stocky brown bodies with a large, round abdomen and a pronotum that extends along the back and side of the thorax as if it were a shield. They blend perfectly with leaf litter.
Protean Shieldback male
Protean Shieldback female
Song
Unlike the series of short rattles sung by the Least Shieldback, the Protean Shieldback sings a long, rattling song several seconds in duration, followed by a short pause before resuming. They sing at night
but can be found before dark.
Adult season
End of June and into July, but since they are not common in our area, their dates here are unclear.
General description and context
These katydids live in shrubby meadows and woodland edges. They may be found at ground level, but will also climb into shrubs and dense meadow vegetation.
Similar species
The Least Shieldback looks similar to the Protean Shieldback, but its wings and pronotum are a little shorter. The Least’s song is a series of short, rhythmic bursts of rattles, while the Protean’s song is fairly continuous rattle with short, irregular pauses.
Protean Shieldbacks mating
Field observation
I’ve had the good fortune to spend time with these shieldbacks well south of NE Ohio – specifically Buzzards Roost Nature Preserve in the Ross County Park District, Chillicothe. They are common and fairly easy to find there, and I actually watched a female prepare to eat a Japanese beetle that was in the process of mating (see my Listening in Nature post on this species or the shieldback information page here
Listening in Nature post:
http://listeninginnature.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-predatory-katydid.html
Songs of Insect:
http://songsofinsects.com/katydids/protean-shieldback
Singing Insects of North America
http://www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/288a.htm
Nature Inquiries
https://natureinquiries.wordpress.com/2017/07/13/closing-the-book-on-protean-shieldbacks
