Conocephalus

Conocephalus is a genus of bush crickets, known as coneheads (a term also sometimes applied to members of the related genus Ruspolia). It was described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1815.^[1]

Conocephalus
Adult female short-winged conehead (Conocephalus dorsalis burri)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Suborder:	Ensifera
Family:	Tettigoniidae
Subfamily:	Conocephalinae
Tribe:	Conocephalini
Genus:	Conocephalus Thunberg, 1815
Species
See text

Conocephalus saltator female nymph, Fiji

Conocephalus albescens

Conocephalus fuscus

Conocephalus magdalenae

Description

Conocephalus range from 10 to 27 mm in length, measured from head to wingtip. They can be distinguished from the related genus Orchelimum by being smaller and slimmer in general, the face usually being green and the ovipositors of females usually being straight.^[2]

The forewings vary in length. Some species always have short forewings, some usually have short forewings but occasionally have individuals with forewings longer than the abdomen, and some always have long forewings.^[3]

Species can be distinguished by the shapes of the cerci (males) and ovipositor (females).^[3]

Ecology

Bush crickets of this genus live in fields and meadows, where they feed on leaves, flowers, pollen and seeds of grasses and forbs. They also sometimes prey on other insects. Females lay their eggs in grass stems.^[2]

Subgenera and species

The Orthoptera Species File lists the following species, grouped into subgenera:^[4]

Conocephalus (Amurocephalus)

- subgenus: Storozhenko, 2004 (China)

• Conocephalus chinensis (Redtenbacher, 1891)

Conocephalus (Anisoptera)

- subgenus: Latreille, 1829 (Worldwide) - synonym Xiphidium Burmeister, 1838

• Conocephalus aberrans (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus adustus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus aigialus Rehn & Hebard, 1915
• Conocephalus algerinorum Massa, 1999
• Conocephalus angustifrons (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus angustivertex Pitkin, 1980
• Conocephalus armatipes (Karsch, 1893)
• Conocephalus attenuatus (Scudder, 1869)
• Conocephalus bakeri (Karny, 1920)
• Conocephalus bechuanensis (Péringuey, 1916)
• Conocephalus beybienkoi Storozhenko, 1981
• Conocephalus bidentatus Shi & Zheng, 1994
• Conocephalus bilineatus (Erichson, 1842)
• Conocephalus bivittatus (Bolívar, 1900)
• Conocephalus borellii (Giglio-Tos, 1897)
• Conocephalus borneensis (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus brevicercus (Karsch, 1893)
• Conocephalus brevipennis (Scudder, 1862)
• Conocephalus caudalis (Walker, 1869)
• Conocephalus chavesi (Bolívar, 1905)
• Conocephalus cinereus Thunberg, 1815
• Conocephalus cognatus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus concolor (Burmeister, 1838)
• Conocephalus decaspinosus Nagar & Swaminathan, 2016
• Conocephalus denticercus (Karny, 1907)
• Conocephalus dorsalidentatus Li, Zhang & Shi, 2019
• Conocephalus dorsalis (Latreille, 1804)
• Conocephalus ebneri Harz, 1966
• Conocephalus equatorialis (Giglio-Tos, 1898)
• Conocephalus exemptus (Walker, 1869)
• Conocephalus exitiosus (McNeill, 1901)
• Conocephalus exsul (Karny, 1911)
• Conocephalus fasciatus (De Geer, 1773)
• Conocephalus flavus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus formosus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus fulmeki (Ebner, 1927)
• Conocephalus fuscus (Fabricius, 1793): disputed synonym C. discolor (Thunberg, 1815) - long-winged Conehead
• Conocephalus gigantius (Matsumura & Shiraki, 1908)
• Conocephalus goianus Piza, 1977
• Conocephalus gracilicercus Li & Shi, 2018
• Conocephalus gracillimus Morse, 1901
• Conocephalus guangdongensis Shi & Liang, 1997
• Conocephalus hainanensis Shi & Wang, 2015
• Conocephalus hastatus (Charpentier, 1825)
• Conocephalus hilli Farooqi & Usmani, 2019
• Conocephalus honorei (Bolívar, 1900)
• Conocephalus hygrophilus Rehn & Hebard, 1915
• Conocephalus ictus (Scudder, 1875)
• Conocephalus inconspicuus (Karny, 1920)
• Conocephalus infumatus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus insularis (Morse, 1905)
• Conocephalus iriodes Rehn & Hebard, 1915
• Conocephalus iris (Serville, 1838)
• Conocephalus japonicus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus kisi Harz, 1967
• Conocephalus kwasiphaiensis Nagar & Swaminathan, 2016
• Conocephalus liangi Liu & Zhang, 2007
• Conocephalus liebermanni Ebner, 1953
• Conocephalus longipennis (Haan, 1843)
• Conocephalus maculatus (Le Guillou, 1841)
• Conocephalus magdalenae Naskrecki, 2000
• Conocephalus meadowsae Harz, 1970
• Conocephalus melaenus (Haan, 1843)
• Conocephalus nanlingensis Li, Xin & Shi, 2019
• Conocephalus nemoralis (Scudder, 1875)
• Conocephalus nigropleuroides Fox, 1912
• Conocephalus nigropleurum (Bruner, 1891)
• Conocephalus occidentalis (Morse, 1901)
• Conocephalus oceanicus (Le Guillou, 1841)
• Conocephalus ochrotelus Rehn & Hebard, 1915
• Conocephalus percaudatus Bey-Bienko, 1955
• Conocephalus peringueyi Uvarov, 1928
• Conocephalus pictus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus recticaudus Bruner, 1915
• Conocephalus redtenbacheri (Bolívar, 1905)
• Conocephalus rentzi Farooqi & Usmani, 2018
• Conocephalus resacensis Rehn & Hebard, 1915
• Conocephalus resinus (Saussure & Pictet, 1898)
• Conocephalus rhodesianus (Péringuey, 1916)
• Conocephalus saltator (Saussure, 1859)
• Conocephalus semivittatus (Walker, 1869)
• Conocephalus semraensis Farooqi & Usmani, 2021
• Conocephalus shanghaiensis Zhou, Bi & Liu, 2010
• Conocephalus signatus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus spartinae (Fox, 1912)
• Conocephalus spinosus (Morse, 1901)
• Conocephalus starmuehlneri Kaltenbach, 1968
• Conocephalus strictus (Scudder, 1875)
• Conocephalus trifasciatus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus trivittatus (Stål, 1861)
• Conocephalus truncatus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus tumidus Pitkin, 1980
• Conocephalus tumultuosus Willemse, 1942
• Conocephalus unicolor Bruner, 1915
• Conocephalus versicolor (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus vestitus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus willemsei Pitkin, 1980
• Conocephalus yunnanensis Shi & Feng, 2009

Conocephalus (Aphauropus)

- subgenus: Rehn & Hebard, 1915 (central America)

• Conocephalus leptopterus Rehn & Hebard, 1915

Conocephalus (Chloroxiphidion)

- subgenus: Hebard, 1922 (Africa, Australasia: probably incomplete)

• Conocephalus albescens (Walker, 1869)
• Conocephalus bituberculatus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus dubius Willemse, 1942
• Conocephalus javanicus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus laetus (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus striata Willemse, 1942
• Conocephalus upoluensis (Karny, 1907)
• Conocephalus vaginatus Willemse, 1942

Conocephalus (Conocephalus)

- subgenus: Thunberg, 1815 (Worldwide)

• Conocephalus bambusanus Ingrisch, 1990 (synonym C. abispinatus Hsia & Liu, 1990)
• Conocephalus basutoanus Chopard, 1955
• Conocephalus bispinatus Pitkin, 1980
• Conocephalus brevivalvus (Shi, Wang & Fu, 2005)
• Conocephalus brincki Chopard, 1955
• Conocephalus conocephalus (Linnaeus, 1767)
  type species (as Gryllus conocephalus L.)
• Conocephalus differentus Shi & Liang, 1997
• Conocephalus emeiensis Shi & Zheng, 1999
• Conocephalus lugubris (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus obtectus Karny, 1907
• Conocephalus saltans (Scudder, 1872)
• Conocephalus somali (Burr, 1900)
• Conocephalus sulcifrontis Xia & Liu, 1992
• Conocephalus tridens Hebard, 1933
• Conocephalus xiai Liu & Zhang, 2007

Conocephalus (Dicellurina)

- subgenus: Rehn & Hebard, 1938 (eastern USA)

• Conocephalus allardi (Caudell, 1910)

Conocephalus (Megalotheca)

- subgenus: Karny, 1907 (southern Africa, Madagascar)

• Conocephalus longiceps (Péringuey, 1916)
• Conocephalus marcelloi Gorochov & Llorente del Moral, 2004
• Conocephalus montana (Uvarov, 1928)
• Conocephalus namibius Gorochov, 2009
• Conocephalus nigrifrons (Chopard, 1952)
• Conocephalus parvula (Péringuey, 1916)
• Conocephalus phasma Gorochov & Llorente del Moral, 2004
• Conocephalus vaginalis (Karny, 1907)
• Conocephalus xiphidioides (Karny, 1907)
• Conocephalus zlobini Gorochov, 2009

Conocephalus (Opeastylus)

- subgenus: Rehn & Hebard, 1915 (southern America)

• Conocephalus longipes (Redtenbacher, 1891)
• Conocephalus vitticollis (Blanchard, 1851)

Conocephalus (Perissacanthus)

- subgenus: Rehn & Hebard, 1915 (Paraguay)

• Conocephalus strictoides (Caudell, 1906)

Conocephalus (Xenocerculus)

- subgenus: Rubio & Braun 2024 (Argentina)

• Conocephalus tuyu Rubio & Braun 2024

subgenus not assigned

• Conocephalus aculeatus Piza, 1969
• Conocephalus affinis Redtenbacher, 1891
• Conocephalus goianus Piza, 1977
• Conocephalus algerinorum Massa, 1999
• Conocephalus cinereus Thunberg, 1815
• Conocephalus differentus Shi & Liang, 1997
• Conocephalus emeiensis Shi & Zheng, 1999
• Conocephalus halophilus Ishikawa, 2004
• Conocephalus melaenoides Sänger & Helfert, 1995
• Conocephalus sojolensis Sänger & Helfert, 1995
• Conocephalus spinosus (Morse, 1901)
• Conocephalus stictomerus Rehn & Hebard, 1915

References

1. Thunberg CP (1815) Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Peterburg 5:214, 218, 271.
2. "Genus Conocephalus - Lesser Meadow Katydids". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
3. "Genus Conocephalus (lesser meadow katydids)". sina.orthsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
4. Orthoptera Species File: Conocephalus Thunberg, 1815 (Version 5.0/5.0; retrieved 11 June 2021)

External links

• Media related to Conocephalus at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Conocephalus at Wikispecies