19-580: Suborder Ensifera Suborder Caelifera Orthoptera (from Ancient Greek ὀρθός ( orthós ) 'straight' and πτερά ( pterá ) 'wings') is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers , locusts , and crickets , including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā . The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grasshoppers, locusts, and close relatives; and Ensifera – crickets and close relatives. More than 20,000 species are distributed worldwide. The insects in
38-532: A superfamily of insects that includes the mole crickets and the ant crickets . The type genus is Gryllotalpa . Recent (2015) molecular phylogenetic studies support the monophyly of the cricket clade (Gryllidea in the Orthoptera Species File ) and its subdivision into two clades: Gryllotalpidae and Myrmecophilidae on the one hand, and all the other crickets ( i.e. crickets sensu stricto : seven monophyletic clades, including
57-1228: A division into two suborders – Caelifera and Ensifera – occurring 256 million years ago . The Orthoptera are divided into two suborders, Caelifera and Ensifera , that have been shown to be monophyletic . A recent comprehensive phylogeny based on analyses of data from transcriptomes and mitochondrial genomes found the following relationships within Orthoptera. Gryllotalpoidea (mole crickets and ant crickets) Grylloidea ("true crickets", scaly crickets, wood crickets, etc) [REDACTED] Rhaphidophoroidea (cave crickets, camel crickets, spider crickets and sand treaders) [REDACTED] Schizodactyloidea (dune crickets) [REDACTED] Stenopelmatoidea (Jerusalem crickets, king crickets, leaf-rolling crickets and Cooloola monsters) Hagloidea (grigs) Tettigonioidea (katydids or bush crickets) [REDACTED] Tridactyloidea [REDACTED] Tetrigoidea [REDACTED] Eumastacoidea [REDACTED] Proscopioidea Tanaoceroidea Trigonopterygoidea Pneumoroidea [REDACTED] Pyrgomorphoidea [REDACTED] Acridoidea [REDACTED] Taxonomists classify members of
76-585: A known pest in soybean fields and will likely feed on these crops once preferred food sources have become scarce. Most orthopterans are edible, making up 13% of all insects including some 80 species of grasshoppers being regularly consumed worldwide. In Madagascar and Oaxaca , grasshoppers and locusts are usually collected early in the morning when it is cooler as the orthopterans are less mobile due to being cold-blooded . In Thailand, house crickets are commonly reared and eaten; as of 2012, around 20,000 cricket farmers had farms in 53 of their 76 provinces . In
95-403: A radically different coloration from the adults. Through successive moults , the nymphs develop wings until their final moult into a mature adult with fully developed wings. The number of moults varies between species; growth is also very variable and may take a few weeks to some months depending on food availability and weather conditions. This order evolved 300 million years ago with
114-400: A single day. Individuals gather in large groups called swarms, these swarms can range up to 80 million individuals that stretch 460 square miles. Grasshoppers can cause major agricultural damage but not to the documented extent as locust historically have. These insects mainly feed on weeds and grasses, however, during times of drought and high population density they will feed on crops. They are
133-501: Is Latin for "sword bearer", and refers to the typically elongated and blade-like ovipositor of the females. Characteristics shared by the two orthopteran suborders, Caelifera and Ensifera, are the mouthparts adapted for biting and chewing, the modified prothorax, the hind legs modified for jumping, the wing shape and venation, and the sound-producing stridulatory organs. Ensiferans are distinguished from Caeliferans by their elongated, threadlike antennae , which are often longer than
152-539: Is derived from the Greek ὀρθός orthos meaning "straight" and πτερόν pteron meaning "wing". Orthopterans have a generally cylindrical body, with elongated hindlegs and musculature adapted for jumping . They have mandibulate mouthparts for biting and chewing and large compound eyes , and may or may not have ocelli , depending on the species. The antennae have multiple joints and filiform type, and are of variable length. The first and third segments on
171-421: The thorax are larger, while the second segment is much smaller. They have two pairs of wings , which are held overlapping the abdomen at rest. The forewings, or tegmina , are narrower than the hindwings and hardened at the base, while the hindwings are membranous, with straight veins and numerous cross-veins. At rest, the hindwings are held folded fan-like under the forewings. The final two to three segments of
190-470: The Caelifera and Ensifera into infraorders and superfamilies as follows: Several species of Orthoptera are considered pests of crops and rangelands or seeking warmth in homes by humans. The two groups of Orthoptera that cause the most damage are grasshoppers and locusts . Locust are historically known for wiping out fields of crops in a day. Locust have the ability to eat up to their own body weight in
209-523: The Ensifera, summarized by Darryl Gwynne in 1995 from his own work and that of earlier authors, are shown in the following cladogram , with the Orthoptera divided into two main groups, Ensifera and Caelifera (grasshoppers). Fossil Ensifera are found from the late Carboniferous period onwards. The oldest known fossil in the Archaeorthoptera , the crown group of the Orthoptera, and also
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#1732772057250228-436: The abdomen are reduced, and have single-segmented cerci . Orthopterans have a paurometabolous lifecycle or incomplete metamorphosis . The use of sound is generally crucial in courtship, and most species have distinct songs. Most grasshoppers lay their eggs in the ground or on vegetation. The eggs hatch and the young nymphs resemble adults, but lack wings and at this stage are often called 'hoppers'. They may often also have
247-449: The gut of insects, grasshoppers are one species of interest. The insect's ability to break down cellulose and lignin without producing greenhouse gases has aroused scientific interest. Ensifera See text Ensifera is a suborder of insects that includes the various types of crickets and their allies including: true crickets , camel crickets , bush crickets or katydids , grigs , weta and Cooloola monsters . This and
266-445: The length of their bodies and have over 30 segments (except in the subterranean Cooloolidae family). For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as "long-horned orthopterans". In the families in which the males sing, the fore wings have modifications that include toothed veins and scrapers for making the noise, and the surrounding membranous areas amplify the sound. In these groups, the sound-detecting tympanal organs are located on
285-911: The oldest member of the Pterygota (winged insects), is from the Namurian (324 mya) Lower Carboniferous beds in the Upper Silesian Basin of the Czech Republic. † Elcanoidea † Permoraphidioidea † Oedischioidea † Triassomantoidea † Xenopteroidea Hagloidea : (including grigs) † Phasmomimoidea Stenopelmatoidea (weta, king crickets) Tettigonioidea (bush crickets, katydids, koringkreiks) Rhaphidophoroidea (cave weta, cave crickets) † Gryllavoidea Grylloidea (crickets) Schizodactyloidea (dune crickets) ( grasshoppers , groundhoppers , pygmy mole crickets ) Gryllotalpoidea The Gryllotalpoidea are
304-570: The order have incomplete metamorphosis , and produce sound (known as a " stridulation ") by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps. The tympanum , or ear , is located in the front tibia in crickets, mole crickets , and bush crickets or katydids, and on the first abdominal segment in the grasshoppers and locusts. These organisms use vibrations to locate other individuals. Grasshoppers and other orthopterans are able to fold their wings (i.e. they are members of Neoptera ). The name
323-641: The second century BCE in Ancient Greece , Diodorus Siculus is known to have called people from Ethiopia Acridophagi , meaning "eaters of locusts." In Judaism , the Orthoptera include the only insects considered kosher . The list of dietary laws in the book of Leviticus forbids all flying insects that walk, but makes an exception for certain locusts . The Torah states the only kosher flying insects with four walking legs have knees that extend above their feet so that they hop. With new research showing promise in locating alternative biofuel sources in
342-528: The suborder Caelifera (grasshoppers and their allies) make up the order Orthoptera . Ensifera is believed to be a more ancient group than Caelifera, with its origins in the Carboniferous period, the split having occurred at the end of the Permian period. Unlike the Caelifera, the Ensifera contain numerous members that are partially carnivorous, feeding on other insects, as well as plants. Ensifer
361-473: The tibiae of the front legs. The tarsi have three segments and the ovipositor is blade-like or needle-like. The male attaches the spermatophore externally to the female's gonopore . The spermatophore is often surrounded by a proteinaceous spermatophylax , the function of which is to provide a nutritional nuptial gift to the female. The Orthoptera Species File database lists the following superfamilies and families. The phylogenetic relationships of
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