Middlekauf's Shieldback Katydid
Idiostatus middlekauffi
Conservation status data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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Countries
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Orthoptera
Family
Tettigoniidae
Genus
Idiostatus
Middlekauf's Shieldback Katydid belongs to the family Tettigoniidae, order Orthoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
Species profile data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Middlekauf's Shieldback Katydid faces severe threats from habitat loss and fragmentation due to urban development and agricultural expansion in its limited California range. The species' restricted distribution and specialized habitat requirements make it extremely vulnerable to environmental changes and human activities.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
This species inhabits chaparral shrublands, oak woodlands, and grassland edges in California's coastal and inland mountain regions. It requires areas with dense native vegetation that provide both shelter and appropriate acoustic conditions for mating calls.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Middlekauf's Shieldback Katydid faces severe threats from habitat loss and fragmentation due to urban development and agricultural expansion in its limited California range. The species' restricted distribution and specialized habitat requirements make it extremely vulnerable to environmental changes and human activities.
Agricultural conversion and land use change
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat loss from urban development
Climate change impacts on microhabitat conditions
Invasive plant species altering native vegetation
Found in 1 Country
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Middlekauf's Shieldback Katydid (Idiostatus middlekauffi). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/middlekaufs-shieldback-katydid