Amblycorypha oblongifolia, the Oblong-winged Katydid.

I collected this group of 8 or 9 Amblycorypha oblongifolia nymphs back on 5/17/25 and collected some more on 5/26/25. This past week, on /11/25, I went out and collected 2 more smaller nymphs, both around 1.5cm or 0.6in. I am now up to 10 or so individuals. In the past week, all of my nymphs have grown and matured substantially, with around half of them being of a sexable size, the largest of which measures around 2.54cm or 1 inch in body size, and up to 5cm or 2 inches with their hind legs fully extended. Unfortunately, I have gotten quite unlucky with the ratio of males to females, as it is looking like I will have a majority male group, with only 2 confirmed females so far (as their ovipositors are now easily visible).

These guys have been eating very well. I’ve been feeding them fresh maple leaves regularly, as well as occasionally, oak leaves, and soft fruit like strawberries. I’ve offered them some new fruit jelly (I am unsure of the brand as it is Vietnamese), which is probably similar to beetle jelly, and they left no crumbs.

Their enclosure has remained the same since my last update, still in a well-ventilated 12 x 7 x 8in setup. I spray down their enclosure regularly and keep them at around 75F.

*Amblycorypha oblongifolia* nymph female

Pterophylla camellifolia, the common true katydid.

I collected 2 nymphs back on 5/17/25, and recently on 6/11/25, collected 1 more nymph (around 2cm or 0.8in). My two original P. camellifolia have both reached a sexable size! I am so happy to say that I got a 1:1 pair!!! They have grown slightly, measuring around 2.5cm or around 1in in body length and 3.8cm or 1.5in with their legs fully extended (they have a much stockier build and shorter hind legs than my Microcentrum sp. nymphs.

Just like the Microcentrum sp. I feed the three Pterophylla camellifolia deciduous leaves, usually maple and oak (as that is much more readily accessible for me). They feed well, however, are not as voracious eaters as the Microcentrum sp. nymphs, so I rarely replace eaten leaves. These guys are not as fond of fruits and other foods, often leaving non-leafy foods alone.

I haven’t changed their setup since the last update, so they are still in a large, well-ventilated 12 x 7 x 8in setup. I spray down their enclosure regularly and keep them at around 75F.

Meconema thalassinum, the oak bush-cricket or the drumming katydid. Technically not a native species but a very well-established introduced species, native to Europe. I do not know of any accounts of anyone trying to raise or breed this species in captivity, maybe I am the first. This is a rather common species in my area. Big news! I have a perfect trio! 1:2 group! The second female recently molted following the first larger female, revealing a small ovipositor. And I got super lucky with the last individual not developing an ovipositor, i.e., a male. The first larger female just molted last night, with her sword-like ovipositor growing to almost twice its size. All individuals measure around 1.9cm or 0.75in in body length, with a total of 2.54cm or 1in length with their hind legs fully extended. I found that after her most recent molt, the largest female’s abdomen has seemed to shorten, giving way to her long ovipositor.

As they have been growing, my trio of Meconema thalassinum has seemed to become more protein hungry. They readily accept both live and pre-killed fruit flies. I still offer seeds (sunflower and pumpkin) as well as bee pollen; however, I haven’t seen them feeding on the seeds recently.

The three M. thalassinum are by far my favorite species I am working with right now, being super active. They all tend to hang towards the top half of the small 32-oz deli cup enclosure on the vented lid, with the two females being most active and the male seems to always be resting during the day.

Their enclosure has remained the same from my last update, so check it out for more info on their setup. I spray down their enclosure regularly and keep them at around 75F.

*Meconema thalassinum* nymph #1 female (largest of the three)

Myrmecophilus pergandei, the eastern ant cricket. This is an awesome native species of ant cricket found across the eastern US. They are technically kleptoparasites living among ant colonies (of the genera Lasius, Camponatus, Formica, Aphaenogaster, Crematogaster, and Tapinoma) and are believed to feed on ant secretions and debris found in ant nests.

Thankfully, not all hope is lost for my Myrmecophilus pergandei colony. Earlier today, I spotted a single tiny nymph around 2mm or 0.08in long wandering around on the surface above the substrate. This gives me hope that the colony is not dead and the other individuals are still alive underground. I still maintain the enclosure and have just added a clear, tiny DIY food dish, where I added some fish flakes, in hopes of monitoring or seeing if they are eating at all.

I have no recent photos, sorry!

Ceuthophilus maculatus, the spotted camel cricket. These guys are native to southern Canada and the eastern US, being found under decaying logs, bark, and in caves. I collected a group of around 9 of these individuals back on 5/17/25. They are all adults or at least subadults, measuring 2-2.5cm or 0.75-1in long.

There are no big updates on this colony of camel crickets. I keep feeding regularly and keep the setup damp. I still haven’t noticed any babies; however, the isopod population in the setup has been exploding.

Scudderia furcata, the fork-tailed katydid. This is a native species of katydid, found throughout the US and Mexico. Scudderia spp. are some of the more common genera of katydids kept in the hobby, with a lot of information on their care and husbandry. I collected a group of 4 nymphs on 6/11/25, and recently collected 6 more nymphs on 6/20/25; as of now, I have a total of 10 Scudderia furcata nymphs. They are growing pretty fast, with some of the largest individuals measuring at around 1cm in body length and 2cm in total length when their hind legs are extended.

I’ve been feeding a multitude of things, of which include: leafy vegetables (such as lettuce), strawberries, bee pollen, deciduous leaves, and flower petals.

I keep them in an identical setup to the P. camellifolia, a well-ventilated 12 x 7 x 8in enclosure. I spray down their enclosure regularly and keep them at around 75F.

Neoxabea dipunctata, the two-spotted tree cricket. A common species of tree cricket found throughout the eastern US, from Texas to Maine. I collected a group of 3 on 6/11/25. They have all grown steadily, as of now, they measure around 1cm or 0.4in long in body length, and approximately 1.5cm or 0.6in long including their hind legs.

These guys don’t seem to be picky eaters, feeding on almost anything I feed, albeit in small quantities. Strawberry and fruit seem to be a favorite, as well as fish flakes, and lettuce. I also offer pre-killed fruit flies and some bee pollen.

I haven’t changed their setup from my last update, so they are still in a 32 oz deli container with a mesh screen lid, 1in of coco fiber substrate, some crushed leaf litter, and bark and twigs for vertical surface area.

Hapithus saltator, the jumping bush cricket. A common native species of bush cricket found throughout the eastern US, from Texas to Vermont. I collected a group of 3 on 6/20/25. These three are absolutely tiny. I estimate they may be around 5mm or 0.2in long or 7mm or 0.3in long if their hind legs are extended.

I don’t have too much info on these Hapithus saltator, but I know they are generalists and haven’t been too picky when it comes to food. So far, I’ve only offered strawberry, which they graciously accepted; however, I will definitely be expanding their palate as I assume they will take diets similar to my other omnivorous katydids.

I got this small group in a simplistic 32-oz deli cup arrangement, a small 1.25cm or 0.5in layer of coco fiber substrate, some sphagnum moss, plenty of twigs and sticks for them to climb on, and a well-ventilated lid. I keep a small colony of springtails in the substrate to keep everything mold-free. I spray down regularly to keep a constant semi-humid environment and keep them under a bright grow light for around 10 hours a day, at 75-76F.

Another new addition to my Orthopteran project is a Melanoplus sp. (probably either M. differentialis or M. punctulatus), the spur-throated grasshoppers. These grasshoppers are common in the grasses and meadows of the US. I collected a group of 4 nymphs on 6/18/25. All four are probably 2nd instar individuals, measuring around 0.9cm or 0.35in in body length, or around 1.1cm or 0.43in with their legs fully extended.

These grasshoppers feed on grasses and other plant matter, as well as reports of them eating bark in the wild. I feed them a very similar diet to my other larger katydids, i.e., lettuce, strawberries, and maple leaves, of which they have taken to nicely.

I got this small group in a simplistic 32-oz deli cup arrangement, a small 1cm or 0.4in layer of coco fiber substrate, some sphagnum moss, a layer of crushed bark pieces and leaf litter, plenty of twigs and sticks for them to climb on, and a well-ventilated lid. I keep a small colony of springtails in the substrate to keep everything mold-free. I spray down regularly to keep a constant semi-humid environment and keep them under a bright grow light for around 10 hours a day, at 75-76F.

I am very excited to watch these guys mature and get a real ID on the species.

Finally, the last addition to my growing Orthopteran addiction is Phaneroptera nana, the Mediterranean katydid. Unfortunately, not a native species, but an introduced one (kind of a recurring theme among the species I keep). I collected 7 individuals back on 6/15/25. They vary in size from 0.7-1cm or 0.3-0.4in in body length, being very visually similar to S. furcata nymphs, with their underbelly coloration being the best way to differentiate the two (P. nana has a bright green color throughout its body, whilst S. furcata has a tan grey underbelly).

Just like my Microcentrum sp. these guys are voracious feeders and will devour any plant matter. I feed all the same foods that I do with the Microcentrum sp. lettuces, deciduous leaves, fruits, as well as fish flakes. As I keep them in a small setup for now, I make sure not to overfeed.

This group is well overdue for an enclosure upgrade. As of now, I have the 7 nymphs in a 32-oz deli cup enclosure, identical to the melanoplus sp. setup. I plan to move them into a much larger setup, as this enclosure seems much too inadequate.

NY native Orthoptera breeding projects post #4

NY native Orthoptera breeding projects post #5

NY native Orthoptera breeding projects post #3