Atlanticus testaceus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Atlanticus testaceus, known generally as the protean shieldback or short-legged shield-bearer, is a species of shield-backed katydid in the family Tettigoniidae. It is found in North America. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Protean Shieldback sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 630th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and September–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Protean Shieldback in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and November–May, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Protean Shieldback sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Shenandoah National Park, in our data
Shenandoah National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Protean Shieldback sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Tettigoniidae
The closest relatives of the Protean Shieldback that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Tettigoniidae, Katydids) are Common True Katydid (about 10%), Lesser Anglewing (about 10%) and Short-Winged Meadow Katydid (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Protean Shieldback is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
