RANGE: Hawaii (Nihoa conehead katydid found only on island of Nihoa)

STATUS: The Nihoa conehead katydid is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

The Banza genus of the Hawaiian katydid is made up of 10 individual species native to the archipelago, including the imperiled Nihoa conehead katydid. The Nihoa conehead mainly eats plant leaves, but its numbers are so small that it does scant damage to forest vegetation. Male Banza katydids on the Main Hawaiian Islands leap on females just before mating, while male Nihoa conehead katydids — which live only on the island of Nihoa on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands — instead court the females with song. The song heard in this ringtone was recorded on a summer evening in the Waineke Marsh in Kauai’s Koke’e State Park.