''Capnobotes fuliginosus'' is a species of

katydid Insects in the family Tettigoniidae are commonly called katydids (especially in North America), or bush crickets. They have previously been known as "long-horned grasshoppers". More than 8,000 species are known. Part of the suborder Ensifera, t ...

known as the sooty longwing. It is found in the western United States and Mexico. It is omnivorous and it is the prey of the wasp ''

Palmodes praestans ''Palmodes praestans'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name ...

''. The sooty longwing was first formally described in 1872 by Cyrus Thomas as ''

Locusta Locusta or Lucusta (died 69), was a notorious maker of poisons in the 1st-century Roman Empire, active in the final two reigns of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She supposedly took part in the assassinations of Claudius and Britannicus. She was a f ...

fuliginosus''.

Description

The species is up to long to its wingtips, brownish gray, has long wings, has a shield back, and its hindwings are darker than its forewings. The katydids show their dark hindwings when they are startled. The species' song is loud, continuous, and shrill. It is an

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...

that is known to feed on the nymphs and adults of the grasshopper ''

Bootettix argentatus ''Bootettix argentatus'', the creosote bush grasshopper, is a species of slant-faced grasshopper in the family Acrididae The AcrididaeMacLeay WS (1821) ''Horae Entomologicae or Essays on the Annulose Animals'' 2 are the predominant family of g ...

'' on foliage during the summer.

Habitat and range

The species can be found in central Nevada, Utah, southern California, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. They are found in the deserts of California. The species was first found at the

Dinosaur National Monument Dinosaur National Monument is an American national monument located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers. Although most of the monument area is in ...

in 1952, according to a 1952 study by ''

Entomological News Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

'' in which three adults were discovered. They are highly active on hot nights.

Predators

Nematodes use the species as a host. The wasp ''

'' preys on the species, even though the wasp is smaller. In a 1919 publication from the ''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'', it was noted that the species is prey for the wasp despite its "large size" and "formidable nature". In a 2005 study about the mating system of the wasp by the ''

Journal of Natural History The ''Journal of Natural History'' is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' (''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.'') an ...

'', a specimen of the wasp was recorded as having dragged the katydid's instar into its burrow. It was mentioned in the 2005 study because the only report up to that time on the wasp was of it feeding on the katydid.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10442185 Tettigoniinae Insects described in 1872