Plagiostira

Plagiostira is a North American genus of shield-backed katydids in the family Tettigoniidae. It is the only genus in the monotypic tribe Plagiostirini, which was established by Storozhenko in 1994.

Taxonomy and Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Insecta
• Order: Orthoptera
• Suborder: Ensifera
• Family: Tettigoniidae
• Subfamily: Tettigoniinae
• Tribe: Plagiostirini
• Genus: Plagiostira Scudder, 1876

Species

At least three described species belong to the genus Plagiostira:

1. Plagiostira albonotata Scudder, 1876 – white-marked shieldback (type species)
2. Plagiostira gillettei Caudell, 1907 – Gillette's shieldback
3. Plagiostira mescaleroensis Tinkham, 1960 – mescalero shieldback

Distribution and Habitat

Species of Plagiostira are endemic to arid sand dune habitats in the southwestern United States. They are found in North America, with records from various locations across the region.

Morphology

As shield-backed katydids, members of this genus possess distinctive morphological features characteristic of the Tettigoniinae subfamily, including a shield-like pronotum. The species exhibit variations in markings and coloration, such as the white markings on P. albonotata.

References

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System. "Plagiostira Report". Retrieved 2019-09-23.
• GBIF. "Plagiostira". Retrieved 2019-09-23.
• BugGuide.net. "Plagiostira genus Information". Retrieved 2019-09-23.
• Otte, Daniel; Cigliano, Maria Marta; Braun, Holger; Eades, David C. (2019). "genus Plagiostira Scudder, 1876". Orthoptera species file online, Version 5.0.
• Capinera, J. L; Scott, R. D.; Walker, T. J. (2004). Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-8948-8.