Phyllopalpus pulchellus Uhler, 1864

Introduction
This week’s North Carolina insect is a stunning little songster commonly called the red-headed bush cricket or handsome trig, Phyllopalpus pulchellus Uhler, 1864 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae).
Taxonomic History
This species was described originally by Philip Uhler in 1864, as Phyllopalpus pulchellus, based on specimens from Maryland and New York. There are currently no synonyms of this species, but some older treatments have classified pulchellus in Phylloscyrtus. The Orthoptera Species File documents the complete taxonomic history of this species. The type specimen repository remains unknown.
Diagnosis
Phyllopalpus pulchellus is relatively easy to recognize amongst all the other local crickets, given its beautiful bright red head and pronotum, blackish wings, yellow legs, and gigantic maxillary palps. Male tegmina (fore wings) are relatively clear and flat, while the female wings are dark and convex, almost like beetle elytra.
Natural History
Like most crickets, the handsome trig courtship involves males singing (by rubbing their fore wings together) to females. The Macauley Library at Cornell has several great recordings of this species’ calls. One can find P. pulchellus in grasses and herbs on field edges and near ditches, and it apparently jumps very rapidly away when discovered. The males call throughout the day and night.
Distribution
Records in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility reveal and at the Orthoptera Species File that Phyllopalpus pulchellus is distributed at least as far west as Texas, north to Illinois and Ohio, southeast to Florida, and northeast to New Jersey. In North Carolina they can be found just about everywhere, as specimens in the NCSU Insect Museum can attest.
Find out more
  • Phyllopalpus pulchellus species page at Orthoptera Species File.
  • Phyllopalpus pulchellus species page at BugGuide.
  • Original description of Phyllopalpus pulchellus by Uhler: Uhler, P. R. 1864. Orthopterological contributions. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia 2: 543-555.
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